News

SEND YOUR NEWSWORTHY VIDEOS TO VIDEOS@NEWSTALK1010.COM

UPDATE: Fundraising for Bullied Bus Monitor Surges Past $440K

Posted By: Suzette Francis · 6/22/2012 5:20:00 AM

A heart-warming turn to a story that started so cold, and ruthless.

The Toronto man who started a fundraising campaign (hoping to raise $5,000 for a vacation) has raised more than $440,000 for a school bus monitor brought to tears by Grade Seven students.

25-year-old Max Sidorov says he sympathize with Klein because he was bullied when he came to Canada 16 years ago after leaving Ukraine.

The video shows kids verbally attacking a school bus monitor in Rochester, New York and reaction to the kids hurling degrading insults at 68-year-old Karen Klein has been strong.

In the video, the students taunt Klein with a stream of profanity laced insults, jeers and physical ridicule.

Some boys even demand to know her address, saying they want to come to her house to perform sexual acts and steal from her.

The bullying continues for about 10 minutes in the video, reducing Klein to tears and one giggling student goes as far as jabbing her arm with a book in one instance and calling her fat.

The students involved attend Greece Athena middle school.

The school district said its bullying team and the local police are conducting an investigation.

WARNING: The following video contains graphic profanity and may be offensive.


Leave a comment:

showing 25 comments · show all comments · Subscribe to comments
Comment
  • 39
  1. Ilia posted on 06/21/2012 09:54 AM
    Remember.. spanking is bad parenting!
    1. NaomiM posted on 06/21/2012 10:21 AM
      @Ilia Spanking these kids would not have made them nicer, if that's what you're saying.
    2. Tammy Flores posted on 06/21/2012 10:37 AM
      @Ilia Disipline is not spanking. It's a form of teaching. Who's teaching kids today? Who are their role models? Are parents influencing for the good or coddling them?
    show more replies
  2. Joseph posted on 06/21/2012 10:10 AM
    A suitable punishment would be to have all the kids on the bus have to make their own way to school for the comming year. They would not be eligible for any school transportation. Start walking kids.
  3. ilaurea posted on 06/21/2012 10:10 AM
    That's what happens when you pander these brats from the time they're able to walk. There are no consequences for their actions, except maybe your 'unhappy face' shown to them.

    Wouldn't want to crush their feelings of self worth. Wouldn't want them to understand that other people have rights and feelings, too. Yep, just let them run wild and do and say anything they want and enjoy their life. They deserve it!!
  4. zonetbh posted on 06/21/2012 10:18 AM
    If I would have been caught saying things like this to an elderly lady I would have had the sorest ass in north america for a week. This is just plain old terrible parenting and brat kids. Hope they get what they deserve.
    1. natalie posted on 06/21/2012 01:40 PM
      @zonetbh when did being 68 considered old, elderly,granny etc?
      then what do you call my dad that is 91 years old?
    show more replies
  5. NaomiM posted on 06/21/2012 10:20 AM
    Sick. This behaviour should go on the kids' permanent records.
  6. NaomiM posted on 06/21/2012 10:20 AM
    Sick. This behaviour should go on the kids' permanent records.
  7. AngelaR_9462 posted on 06/21/2012 10:24 AM
    This breaks my heart. I agree that children involved be suspended from bus transportation. Also what about having them do community service in an retirement home......but who can enforce that? Parents? The school? Police?
  8. sherri posted on 06/21/2012 10:33 AM
    Absolutely sick. You have to wonder what kind of parents these disgusting excuses of humans have. I sincerely hope that they are all punished well beyond allowing them any access to school transportation.
  9. LeasaJ posted on 06/21/2012 10:38 AM
    If one of these children were mine, I would be totally shamed and know I failed as a parent. This is an elderly lady for the love of God. If I had even said one swear word toward an elderly person or adult, I would not sit for a week and would not be able to leave the house for a month. The way the one 'child' spoke about his knife was also very scary. I think the poor woman really didn't know how to respond. I would have been terrified and I'm 54. Makes getting older all the more frightening. What is this world coming to? And, let's not think for a second that this does not happen in Canada, we don't have the high ground here.
  10. Tammy Flores posted on 06/21/2012 10:40 AM
    Rest assured this is not just a US problem. It's happening here too. Kids don't understand respect anymore. They teach character education in school now, however, in my day I didn't need to be taught. I knew my place and what line not to cross. This is the sign of a society in trouble.
  11. Harriet posted on 06/21/2012 10:45 AM
    I am sickened to silence. I couldn't even watch the entire video. A mixture of anger and deep sadness for Karen. As a police officer who often deals with minors~ this is extremely disturbing. Having a lack of empathy for another person in such a deep and disturbing manner is a behaviour that makes one worry about their future behaviour. Yes, I believe that these kids do need to be punished in a way that they can learn from this incident. Maybe work with the homeless, serve food in a shelter, clean up at a seniors building!?
    My heart is so sad after seeing this~ society has changed and watching it up close and personal it is abundantly clear.
  12. Alicia posted on 06/21/2012 10:58 AM
    I am saddened and sickened. This is one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.
  13. Leslie posted on 06/21/2012 11:36 AM
    Parent need to stop being their childs best friend and start parenting. Parents need to learn how to say no.
  14. Steve M posted on 06/21/2012 11:38 AM
    I am a parent of 4, only one left in highschool. We chose to send our kids to a private school and always drove them to school. It cost us a lot but right now it looks like some of the best money I ever spent. At least I can rest assured that my kids were not exposed to that type of vile behaviour constantly.

    My opinion of modern society is not that high as it is, and unless this type of thing is addressed with the seriousness it deserves it has just dropped another notch.

    And please do not insult my intelligense with comments like. "This is an isolated case"
  15. MarciaG_2423 posted on 06/21/2012 11:45 AM
    I am totally disgusting with this *bullying* I truly believe as one person stated below that it.........................proper parenting was done from day one, meaning from the child is born these kids of today wouldn't be like how they are.

    Parents are just too soft on the kids now, they fear there own kids, they can't talk to them they can't discipline them, SO............................if you as a parent CAN'T do that then what the heck do you think the children are going to learn or grow up to be????

    Those kids should be severly PUNISHED for their behaviour, make them BE FEARFUL and have it in their mind never to to it again knowing what the consequences will be!
  16. Jose Lavado posted on 06/21/2012 11:54 AM
    I am can not get myself to finish watching the whole video. i am sad and disgusted by these kids. where are the parents? they should be made accountable for this!!
  17. BarbaraB_4601 posted on 06/21/2012 12:12 PM
    How did these kids get to this state of mind?? What has happened to the good 'old fashioned' way of raising kids....I grew up in the 50's and boy if you even said one swear word you would be in big trouble....These kid obviously are not getting any discipline so they have no fear of anything or anyone. Teachers and parents years ago would give you a good smack or the strap...and that I know!! Not a good example of what should happen now but I know that I grew up alright with class, dignity and respect for others and I had some of that discipline in school and at home. . My Dad had a "cat and nine tails" a leather strap with 9 string-like leather tails that really stung when you had your had strapped....mind you we use to hide it from him once in awhile but we sure knew what it was for!! Hearing these kids on the bus makes me feel ill....It is so sad that we have come so far from raising well behaved, smart intelligent kids! How can we turn the table on them and let them feel how this poor lady is feeling?? I thinks someone has to fiigure that out!!
    1. Elลผbieta posted on 06/21/2012 03:38 PM
      @BarbaraB_4601 I agree with all who said their opinions.
      How can we turn tables? By parents saying NO, and sticking to it. By parents WANTING to care for their offsprings instead of leaving the teaching/caring to everyone else.
      It sems to me that anymore, TV serves as THE babysitter to watch stupyfying "children programs" from am to pm. Electronic toys do the thinking from an infant stage, so the kids can't don't have to later on...
      No, I do not blame media. All is good in small dozes. But all those wonderfull disoveries of todays technology will never compensate for quality time, eating suppers together at the table, talking, laughing, and so on.
      Off top:
      I'm afraid of getting "old and frail"....these, and many like them little batastards will rule when we all get old. Hence personal paradox....do I buy a gun? If I shoot in self defence (knowing Canadian law), I'll be the locked up.
  18. GregH_5652 posted on 06/21/2012 12:22 PM
    I'm glad I read the comments first because now I won't watch the video. Same reason I won't watch that new documentary "Bully". Just watching the clips enraged me and I'm sure I'd feel the same here. Remember when we had at least a modicum of respect for adults? That worked out pretty good, I think. I remember being chastised by an adult who did not know me for doing something stupid. I didn't tell my parents because I knew they would give it to me again only worse. Now, if you give a kid crap for being an idiot, he'll be back with his "parent" yelling at you for daring to speak to his child that way. Kids have a pack mentality. There were probably kids saying those things simply because others were. Maybe they were smaller weaker kids who figure "as long as they're picking on her they'll leave me alone". Not that it excuses anything. I think a proper punishment would be; 5 day suspension, public apologoies from each offender and 50 hours of supervised service at the lady's house each...on weekends. But we know this won't happen. It'll be something like detention and forced to watch a sensitivity video. It's getting worse, people. And I'm at a loss as to what can be done.
  19. LeopoldS posted on 06/21/2012 12:58 PM
    This is what happens when the State interferes with parents raising their children. This is what happens when you remove consequences from actions. This is what happens when the concept of respect is warped into something given to evil rather than good. This is what happens when disipline becomes a dirty word. This is what happens when a society breaks down.

    The only solace is that it is more than likely most of these little bastards will likely wind up working at Walgreens, buying on layaway, and become obese. Irony.
  20. Rose posted on 06/21/2012 01:34 PM
    The pleasure these brats showed in bullying a senior citizen is absolutely disgusting.

    I certainly hope they face severe consequences! Makes me sick!
  21. ANONYMOUS posted on 06/21/2012 02:18 PM
    Spanking is NOT bad parenting. In fact some kids need a spanking now and then. This behavior is completely unacceptable and these kids need to be punished I'm not saying spank them because their too old but a little speech telling them what they did was is not good enough. By the sounds of the video this is not the first time these kids bullied someone else and something needs to be done. Given the ages here they around 12yrs. old the parents need to step in and do something.
  22. DH posted on 06/21/2012 02:33 PM
    Sad thing is, if the lady responded she probably would have looked like villain. Good thing the brats recorded this as they can maybe see how brutal they really are acting, plus the parents can not come back with the usual line "my little Johnny would never do something like that". However the sad reality is all they are thinking is how many hits they are generating on You Tube.
  23. DanM_2681 posted on 06/21/2012 07:27 PM
    Each of those worthless POS should be hauled off the bus and into their school yard and have the beating of their pampered life laid on them.
  24. Margret Brzoza posted on 06/21/2012 10:40 PM
    Shame on these kids,shame on the school,shame on the person who took the pictures on their camera(funny was it?)but the parents have the direct responsibility for the action of their kids and remember their names have not been released in the media but you have a smaller community and they will be known to those who live there and this will not go away because the bigger community through you-tube knows what those kids have done.There are consequences for actions...remember High School is around the corner and College or University down the line but what about jobs?Are the families hoping that U.S.employers have short vision and will forget this event.There has always been warnings about postings on you-tube and social media...it has come to pass that they are in the spotlight and their lives has now been forever altered!! Down the road someone might be interested to see what kind of adults these kids might tun out to be or not.
  25. James posted on 06/22/2012 09:24 AM
    I am glad that this lady is getting a lot of money. But this is getting a little silly. There is a huge list of worthwhile charities that need money, desperately, and go begging day after day, month after month. People should redirect their outpouring of generosity to another cause. This lady will be fine now, I am sure.

    As for the kids, they all need a good hiding.
    1. GregH_5652 posted on 06/22/2012 10:47 AM
      @James I agree, James. You can't fix everything with money. The initial gesture of a vacation was very nice but I hope she donates some of the money. Off topic I know.
    show more replies
showing 1-25 of 29 comments · show all comments

Videos

Top Stories

Trending