Those nasty bullies who tormented an innocent 68-year-old school bus monitor with comments about her weight, sexual acts and family members killing themselves, finally got their due. A one-year suspension from school, time in some type of rehab facility and community service with the elderly.
A one-year suspension is huge. It seems just and appropriate for a bullying offense. But why does it still not feel like it's enough to pay for what they said and how they actually did it? Maybe because it's not. Once you say such terrible, mean, and hurtful things as they did, you can never take them back or make good on them, no matter how harsh the punishment.
Those taunts will live on the Internet and in the heart of poor Karen Klein forever, no matter how many vacations she gets to take or how many days those boys miss school.
The four middle-schoolers apparently waived their right to a hearing. After a week of talking about the incident, which went viral around the world, the school district near Rochester, New York, issued a statement last night on how to deal with the deviants.
In addition to the suspension and community service work, the boys have to go through a bullying prevention program. Usually, being suspended (or expelled) from school does not mean they miss a grade, it just means they attend an alternative type school where they are still required to complete classwork requirements to be able to keep on track with their current grade. But in many districts, it's not nearly the equivalent of instruction they get while attending regular school, and they miss out on all the social and extra-curricular activities as well. So yeah, it's a real blow to a kid.
But whether the boys will "learn their lesson" from this punishment is unclear. It still doesn't seem to bridge to the larger crime of human decency and respect. Nothing really does. There just is no appropriate punishment for what those boys did to Mrs. Klein ("official" punishment, that is).
Do you think the boys got the punishment they deserved?
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Comments 72
I think a good whipping would have been better! Sending them to the alternative school may have a very negative effect on their lives and being a good citizen. They need punishment and someone should have taken the time to find out about their home lives. Kids that bully usually have issues at home. I hate it that kids get away with so much!
They are also forbidden to ride the bus for that year. I think they should not be able to ride the bus until they graduate. They showed no respect on the bus so they should forfeit the priviledge of riding the bus.
I hope no one takes this the wrong way but giving a them a year- long suspension is not going to benefit anyone. If anything you are sending them down the wrong path by sending them to a school with real violent offenders. I'm not defending what they did at all trust me. I've been bullied as a child and wish someone had step in but we are talking about decisions that will affect the rest of their life. No school bus or activities plus a lot more community service should have been enough. Plus with everyone knowing what they did is probably punishment enough.
I hope their parents take the time this summer to figure out what they are going to do. I myself would home-school them for the year so they wouldn't get to far behind but this is a difficult situation.
sorry, but kicking them out of school isn't a proper punishment. i think they need to be volunteering somewhere - how old are these kids? in middle school? make them spend their time in elderly living facilities, homeless shelters, etc. teach them how to be decent human beings and give to those less fortunate - not make fun of someone because they're different than you or seem vulnerable. these kids need to be taught a LESSON before they turn into criminals. sticking them in a school with other kids who have commited actual physically violent crimes isn't going to help. they're going to end up worse.
I agree. They need to be in school learning the importance of how their behavior affects other. Also let's be real I have seen adults still act worst than these children. How can we expect them to behave when adults act worse than they do.