Thursday, June 21, 2012

Rochester? We have a problem...

Don't know if you've seen this yet, but the other day, a school bus monitor in the Greece School District in Rochester, NY was verbally abused by a group of teens. The bullying was so bad it actually made her cry.

But this isn't just any school bus monitor. This was Karen Huff Klein, a grandmother of eight, who has spent 20+ years as a bus driver and monitor with Greece Central Schools. She said she has never experienced this sort of treatment before.

Among the taunts: "Dumb-ass, fat-ass." "Maybe she is an elephant." "She's gonna pick out which kid she's gonna rape next." "Karen wants herpes." "F**king hearing aid." "I'll egg your house." "What's your address so I can p*ss all over your door." "I'll f**king take a cr*p in your mouth." "You touched her arm flap. It's all stinky and smelly." "She probably eats deodorant because she can't afford real food." "What size bra are you? Triple sag?"

"It’s just plain mean and no one should have to live with that," Klein said.

The videos of Klein's verbal abuse at the hands of these students has gone viral. After a call to arms on Reddit and a fundraising effort to send Klein on vacation, nearly $120,000 has been raised.

The police and the school district are now investigating, trying to determine which children were doing the bullying. 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.

Where does this behavior stop? Where is the accountability? These children shouldn't get merely a slap on the wrist; they should be banned from the school bus for a significant period of time, plus it should be their parents' responsibility to ensure their children get to and from school every day. And these abusers should at least be forced to do community service, so they can see first hand the impact abusers have on their victims.

As I've said before when commenting on LGBT children and adults being bullied, for every report of abuse and violence we see, hundreds more go unreported every day.

This can no longer be acceptable. This isn't kids being kids; this is kids being monsters.

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