Broken Arrow Transportation Director Discusses Firing Of Bus Driver After Incident

An administrator with Broken Arrow Schools says the district fired a bus driver on Friday after he refused to let kids off the bus.

The driver was also arrested.

The district says Thomas Young was fired because of safety concerns after he pulled the bus over on the side of the road, telling the students he wouldn’t move unless they behaved.

But some of them jumped out of the back exit while the bus was moving.

Related: Broken Arrow Public Schools Releases School Bus Camera Of Driver Incident

The district says drivers are given a lot of leeway regarding how they manage their bus, but drivers also need to follow protocols.

BAPS says Young didn’t entirely do that.

Bus video shows Young telling kids he wouldn’t let them off the bus until they behaved, even after parents were banging on the bus windows.

What the video doesn’t show, is kids jumping out of the back emergency exits, while the bus was moving.

"What we've been able to determine is that there were some events that we weren't quite pleased with the interaction with the driver,” said Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, the Chief Support Services Officer of Broken Arrow Public Schools. “We weren't quite pleased with the actions as it regards to safety of the drivers interacting with the students on the bus."

District policies say the driver has the right to take control of the bus when kids are being loud or disruptive.

"We have to give latitude to our drivers to make some decisions, but we expect that they're aligning their actions with the protocol that we have in place and that it's safe,” said Vann-Jackson.

The district says in these types of situations, the driver shouldn’t have pulled over on a busy street and should have turned on his flashing lights.

"We do ask for drivers when the bus is out of control to pull over to a safe location, which wouldn't be a main street,” said Vann-Jackson. “We would really prefer for drivers to pull over at school sites where we have administrators and staff, contact our dispatcher, and then secure the bus, get out of the chair, and make sure there is control of the bus, and they can proceed safely.”

School policy also says students can’t get off at any stop that isn’t their own, except in an emergency.

"We would ask that driver to contact our dispatcher,” said Vann-Jackson. “We did not see that that occurred to inquire about the party that was at the door. In this situation, there were some options and decisions that the driver could have made that would have resulted in it being okay to let those students off the bus."

Young was arrested by Broken Arrow Police for kidnapping and child abuse.

Many people have started coming out in support of him.

One saying online, “My son has ridden his bus for a year and a half and absolutely loves him says he is strict but it's for the safety of the children on his bus!”

Another said, “My daughter has been riding his bus for 2 months now and has said he stops the bus and makes sure kids settle down, when they are out of control. She appreciates that he is strict and said it’s always when needed. GOOD. FOR. HIM.”

The district says it’s also investigating the behavior of some of the kids on the bus that day.

The district says one of the assistant principals has been riding this bus this week, and one of the assistant directors is driving the bus.

Young was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on a $60,000 bond.