Bullied Bus Monitor Video Sparks Local Reaction
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: June 22, 2012
A video of middle school students in Rochester verbally abusing a bus monitor is sparking an outpouring of support as strangers worldwide rally for 68-year-old Karen Klein.
Eyewitness News reporter Rachel Polansky asks what if it happened even closer to home?
People are calling the video shocking, frightening, and downright mean - Klein takes the teasing and abuse without raising her voice. I spoke with area middle schoolers, parents, and school officials to find out how they felt about the 10-minute video that has sparked a national outcry.
"Shocked. It's shocking that kid's at any age can do something like that," says Rachel Madison, an Ilion resident and mother.
Madison says the video was very disturbing but she wanted her 12- year -old daughter to watch it so she could visually see the powerful effect of bullying - and possible elder abuse.
"So she's aware of what's going on and what kids are capable of," says Madison.
The video has gone viral with over 2.7 million views. I spoke with an Ilion 6th grader. And she says the video was very upsetting but she wasn't shocked. She says she sees bullying everyday and she can easily see a group of students in her own class behaving the same way.
"I can see kids in my own class doing this because some are mean. It doesn't really need a age, you can be bullied if you're older," says 12- year- old Emily Madison, a sixth grade student.
"Not only student to student bullying, but there's cases of student to adult bullying and vise versa," says Bruce Karam, Utica City School District Superintendent.
He says there is an ongoing national discussion about bullying, but if this was to happen on one of his buses...
"We we would immediately implement the school of conduct that we have that would include suspension of the student automatically," says Karam.
"Nobody should be put through that and that should not be tolerated - and the rules of student behavior need to be applied here and the students need to be punished for this action," says Karam.
After talking with some area folks including a 6 year old boy, I learned something that might be even more shocking - he says violent bullying has already started in his class
"They say that you can't play with them, and they say you aren't my friend, and they hit and they punch," says 6- year- old Ethan Madison.
"I'm scared for both of my kids. I mean I see it, they come home and they hear things on the bunch and it definitely is a scary thought," says Madison.
An online fundraising effort to support Klein has reached over $400 thousand dollars. There's also been talk of criminal charges but Klein says she doesn't want that. Instead she hopes that parents will see the videos, hear the words and talk to their kids.
Eyewitness News reporter Rachel Polansky asks what if it happened even closer to home?
People are calling the video shocking, frightening, and downright mean - Klein takes the teasing and abuse without raising her voice. I spoke with area middle schoolers, parents, and school officials to find out how they felt about the 10-minute video that has sparked a national outcry.
"Shocked. It's shocking that kid's at any age can do something like that," says Rachel Madison, an Ilion resident and mother.
Madison says the video was very disturbing but she wanted her 12- year -old daughter to watch it so she could visually see the powerful effect of bullying - and possible elder abuse.
"So she's aware of what's going on and what kids are capable of," says Madison.
The video has gone viral with over 2.7 million views. I spoke with an Ilion 6th grader. And she says the video was very upsetting but she wasn't shocked. She says she sees bullying everyday and she can easily see a group of students in her own class behaving the same way.
"I can see kids in my own class doing this because some are mean. It doesn't really need a age, you can be bullied if you're older," says 12- year- old Emily Madison, a sixth grade student.
"Not only student to student bullying, but there's cases of student to adult bullying and vise versa," says Bruce Karam, Utica City School District Superintendent.
He says there is an ongoing national discussion about bullying, but if this was to happen on one of his buses...
"We we would immediately implement the school of conduct that we have that would include suspension of the student automatically," says Karam.
"Nobody should be put through that and that should not be tolerated - and the rules of student behavior need to be applied here and the students need to be punished for this action," says Karam.
After talking with some area folks including a 6 year old boy, I learned something that might be even more shocking - he says violent bullying has already started in his class
"They say that you can't play with them, and they say you aren't my friend, and they hit and they punch," says 6- year- old Ethan Madison.
"I'm scared for both of my kids. I mean I see it, they come home and they hear things on the bunch and it definitely is a scary thought," says Madison.
An online fundraising effort to support Klein has reached over $400 thousand dollars. There's also been talk of criminal charges but Klein says she doesn't want that. Instead she hopes that parents will see the videos, hear the words and talk to their kids.
