UPDATE: Man Who Boarded School Bus is an LT Parent

Updated: 11:14 a.m. April 5

Brookfield Police have spoken with the man who boarded the bus Tuesday while students were on their way to Lyons Township High School's North Campus.

The man is a 36-year-old La Grange resident who is the father of an LT student, said Lt. Ed Petrak via email. The man's child rides a different bus to school than the one he boarded.

No charges have been filed.

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A school bus driver has been suspended after police said he picked up a man in Brookfield Tuesday morning who started handing out CDs he made to students riding the bus to Lyons Township High School’s North Campus.

No criminal charges have been filed, but District 204 Superintendent Timothy Kilrea said that he’s taking the incident very seriously.

“Obviously we are very concerned about this,” he said. “Student safety is No. 1.”

The man, who appeared to be in his 20s, asked the driver to let him onto the bus at the intersection of Shields and Raymond, Brookfield police said. He also distributed advertising materials for a music website and Facebook page called Kruel Beatz and told kids to contact him "if any of you have talents," police said. 

The driver told police that he thought the man was one of the students on his route. Video surveillance shows the man asking the driver permission to board the bus and hand out CDs. After he passed around the first batch of discs, he told the driver to wait while he got more, police said. The man left the bus for good after distributing the second bunch.

A spokesman for First Student said that the bus driver's suspension will continue through the investigation. 

“This is a serious issue that we are thoroughly reviewing,” said Timothy Stokes, via email. “The safety and security of the students we transport to and from school daily is our top priority.”

First Student has no record of previous issues with the bus driver, who has worked for the company for several years, Stokes said. All drivers are trained not to allow unauthorized people onto buses, he said.

Kilrea said that the district will be having ongoing conversations with First Student about the incident. 

“It’s very odd, and I appreciate the parent and student who brought it to our attention,” he said. 

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