Fired BAPS bus driver gets GoFundMe check

Written By: John Dobberstein

(BROKEN ARROW, Okla.) Thomas Young, the 68-year-old bus driver who was fired by Broken Arrow Public Schools, received a big check this week.

Read this story on the Broken Arrow Sentinel here. 

A check worth more than $4,000 was presented by a GoFundMe organizer, Krystal Byrd, to Thomas.

“He was a very kind, holy and humbled man,” Byrd said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.

Byrd said Thomas has two potential job offers — one with another school district driving buses, and the other as a delivery driver.

“He wanted to make sure that everyone knows how grateful and thankful he is and it's sure comforting to know that this community has his back,” Byrd wrote.

After serving a year with the school district without any known issues, Thomas was terminated by BAPS after he was arrested by Broken Arrow police for child endangerment and kidnapping, which are felonies.

Students on the bus during the Oct. 13 incident were being unruly and Thomas had to stop the bus several times as he asked the students to behave. At one point the children opened an emergency exit and started to jump out as Thomas moved the bus forward.

RELATED STORY: Broken Arrow bus driver won't be charged, BAPS still investigating student conduct

But District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler declined to file charges against Thomas and he was released after spending nearly a week in jail, unable to make the $60,000 bond.

BAPS said it was working to identify the students on the bus and they may face disciplinary action

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