Former school bus driver, Johnny Cook, wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right –even if it meant losing his job.
It was just another school day when Cook was approached by a little boy who told the driver that he was hungry. When Cook asked the boy why he hadn’t eaten, he was shocked at his response. The middle schooler was denied a meal because he didn’t have an extra 40 cents on his lunch card.
Astounded by the situation, the bus driver turned to Facebook to blow off some steam and to hopefully find some answers.
Read his Facebook post below.
A lil flustered this evening.
A middle schooler got on my bus this evening and said mr johnny im hungry. I said why are you hungry buddy? Didn’t you eat lunch ? He said no sir I didn’t have any money on my account. I said they would let you charge it? No sir.
Huh! What! This child is already on reduced lunch and we can’t let him eat. Are you kidding me? I’m anticancer there was leftover food thrown away today. But kids were turned away because they didn’t have .40 on there account.
As a tax payer, I would much rather feed a child than throw it away. I would rather feed a child than to give food stamps to a crack head.
My number is (***)***-**** the next time we can’t feed a kid for forty cent, please call me . We will scare up the money.
This is what the world has come to
Overnight the post went viral, and the response was overwhelming. Parents from all over the country shared similar stories and thanked Cook for speaking out.
The next day Cook was called in to face the superintendent for violating an apparent Facebook policy. The driver was told that he could either remove the post and apologize or he would lose his job. Cook refused to back down and apologize for unveiling such an injustice—so he was fired.
Although the middle schooler’s parents backed up their son’s story, the school denies that the incident ever even happened.
Cook may have lost his job, but his pride is still intact. He explained, “I’m proud I was able to make a stand when some people may not be able to.”
He hopes that by speaking out he can “in some way, cause a little change.”
Spread the word and share this story using the buttons below.
