It was the last week of school . Johnny Cook, a bus driver in Haralson County, Georgia, couldn’t believe it when a middle-schooler approached him and told him he was hungry.
The reason? His lunch card was 40 cents short, so he didn’t get to eat lunch that day.
Cook had a brief conversation with the boy, and when he got back home he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Restless and frustrated, he took to Facebook to describe what happened:
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.
Cook’s Facebook post 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.
He chose the latter.
Despite the public outcry over Cook’s firing, the school district backed up their decision by saying they have a strict Facebook policy, which he broke.
But Cook said he didn’t regret sharing the story online, and wouldn’t take it back.”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.”
But Cook said he didn’t regret sharing the story online, and wouldn’t take it back.”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.
Do you think Cook should have been fired for exposing the truth? Let us know, and please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!
Do you think Cook should have been fired for exposing the truth? Let us know, and please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!
3 Comments
I was a bus driver in the mid 80's-90's and my girls went to the school where I drove kindergarden and I paid for many crying children's lunch. My girls would come from lunch room worried about someone was having to eat a cheese sandwich because no money in lunch account. The lunch lady actually discouraged me from doing this. She was in my Sunday school class and could see a child singled out by a cheese sandwich??? I would also do it again.
ReplyDeletei am so proud of him i can not believe they did not let that kid eat thank you mr cook for what you did we need more people like you
ReplyDeleteNice to hear of someone unafraid to do the right thing. Way to go ,Johnny!
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