Shawn Ost

Bus Driver — Chillicothe, Ohio

Shawn Ost, a school bus driver in Chillicothe, Ohio, echoes the commitment to public service that other AFSCME members share when he says about the students he ferries to and from school, “I’ve got two grown kids I’d give my right arm for, even give my life, and I feel the same way about the kids on my bus.”

Ost, a member of AFSCME’s Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) was recently honored by the Chillicothe School Board for preventing two schoolchildren — a 5th grader and a 10th grader — from walking into a burglary in progress at their home. He not only locked down the bus, but he also got 911 on the line to report the burglary and turned the kids on the bus into detectives.

“I told the kids, ‘pull your cell phones out. If you can take a video or a photo, do it,’” he told a Columbus TV station. Ost also instructed them to get out their notepads and write down descriptions of the burglars, who were loading the goods into a white van.

Armed with the photos and written descriptions provided by the kids, the police quickly arrested the suspects — within minutes, Ost said. “I wasn’t going to let those kids walk in on a burglary. It was a dangerous situation.”

The OAPSE bus driver’s heroism is exceptional, but it is par for the course for AFSCME members dedicated to our communities and our clients. What puts these everyday heroes in the right place at the right time is a personal determination to improve our communities, delivering the best possible service.