An online fundraising effort to assist a bus monitor who was verbally abused by students raised more than $85,000 in its first day.
It’s a video that’s gone viral. Students bullying a bus monitor. Sources has confirmed with the Greece School District that the video was taken on one of its middle school bus routes.
The video, posted on YouTube, has gained national attention. It shows students verbally attacking bus monitor Karen Klein over and over again. We are not showing the students’ faces because they are minors.
While News10NBC was with Karen Klein, people were stopping over and flowers were being delivered. People are coming out to support her through this. Klein says she still can’t believe this happened and that the video was taken by a student who is always very kind to her.
Karen Klein said, “It’s just plain mean and no one should have to live with that.”
In her 20 plus years as a bus driver and monitor with the Greece Central Schools, Klein has never ran into this kind of behavior.
Klein said, “Everything started out as usual. I don’t know what happened.”
Klein explains the four kids in the video often misbehave, but what happened Monday was taking things to a whole new level.
There are now three videos that the Greece Police and school district are investigating. They are trying to figure out exactly who is verbally attacking Klein.
Debra Hoeft, Greece School District, said, “We do not tolerate harassment of staff or students. While we can not comment on specific student discipline, we can say that students found to be involved will face strong disciplinary actions.”
In one of the videos, the kids are calling her names, swearing at her and even making physical threats. Klein doesn’t say much to the middle schoolers.
Klein said, “I was trying to just ignore. I’m hoping they would go away, but it doesn’t work.”
Klein said she didn’t know about the video until Wednesday morning, and watched it for the first time at the police station when she went to help them with their investigation.
Klein said, “It’s so weird. I was like, ‘It wasn’t me and it had to somebody else. It can’t be me.’”
Klein said the kids taunting were hurtful and disrespectful. While she did keep her calm throughout it, at one point, she let her emotions come up.
Klein told News10NBC she does plan on returning to work, but says she will never take a run that these students are on.
In the next few days, the students will have a superintendent hearing with their parents and lawyers if they wish and this issue is presented to the superintendent and the board. The disciplinary actions will be decided then.
Source: News10NBC