A school bus driver for Haralson County Schools in Georgia was fired following a Facebook post.
Bus driver Johnny Cook believed he was doing the right thing when he took to his personal Facebook page to recount the story of a middle school student who approached him to complain about having to go without lunch because he was 40 cents short on his pre-paid cafeteria account.
That night, Cook wasn’t able to get the issue off of his mind, so he decided to publicly post the story along with his phone number saying:
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 certian 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.
Many agreed with Cook’s position. Cook’s Facebook post immediately went viral, but the next day at school, the superintendent called him into his office. The bus driver was given two options: either recant his Facebook post or be fired.
Despite the public outcry over Cook’s firing, the school district backed up its decision by saying they have a strict Facebook policy, which he broke.
Cook may have lost his job, but he doesn’t regret his decision.
“I’m proud of the reaction and I’m proud I was able to make a stand when some people may not be able to,” he said. “And maybe I was able to make a change, in some way, cause a little change.”
It certainly makes for an interesting debate! In any case, we still think it’s harsh that Cook is removed from his position.
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: OpposingViews, Cnet
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