Bullied Bus monitor?

[azher91]

I would definitely help with my hard working earned money to a charitable cause, rather to an old lady, who gets I5,000 for just sitting for a few hrs on the bus lol & she complains lol.

& then they say they have problems, ask people with real problems

[brandon184]

She created the environment where this was common place and acceptable behavior. She apparently repeatedly allowed this to happen with no repercussions.

I don't understand your invented narrative that she wasn't doing her job or somehow created this abusive environment. You don't "create" an environment like that. These children obviously have some behavioural issues. If they were my children, I'd be extremely concerned about their sick, sociopathic tendencies and would be taking proactive measures to ensure that it didn't happen again and that it wasn't an indication of a broader, more serious mental health problem. The fact that this happened to begin with is what you should be outraged over.

The woman mentioned in a previous news report that she often filed reports against students that resulted in no action from school administrators. The very fact that this incident occurred indicates to me that bus monitors are, in fact, needed on these buses but that in some cases, like this one, they obviously aren't receiving the support they need from school administrators.

As far as whether or not she is a worthy cause over something else is really presenting a false dichotomy. Charity is not a zero-sum game and I'd say spending $20 on her is probably a more worthy cause than someone spending $20 on a month's subscription to a premium cable channel. Though I don't see any outrage over that.

[Epidemic]

Actually you do create an environment. Let just say you have a law that says no one is allowed to enter your country illegally, but you don't enforce it. People then in good faith come into your country feeling you dont really care.

Redlight runners might be another example police not being able to be everywhere do not catch you running lights. You end up having people running lights in greater numbers then when it is enforced reliably. This is seen in Traffic camera situations.



or you have a bus with a brat, talking rudely to an adult, You as the authority who is supposed to police the kids allow this to go on for weeks and months and slowly kids join in to the taunting in a warped game of peer pressure knowing there is no repercussions.

She allowed the kids to do this when her job was to maintain order. By not taking any action she deminished respect amongst the other kids. I am quite willing to bet that this started with one kid picking on her, in the absensence of any adult guidance more kids joined in. Had she done what I believe her job to be, one kid would have been kicked of the bus and the others would have learned a valuable life lesson that you don't sass people in positions of authority.

[tony_j15]

So you know for a fact that it was her job to be an authority figure? You know for a fact she never asked the kids to stop? You know for a fact she never asked the bus driver to intervene? You know for a fact she never approached her boss or the administration over these sort of situations?

[Epidemic]

So you know for a fact that it was her job to be an authority figure? You know for a fact she never asked the kids to stop? You know for a fact she never asked the bus driver to intervene? You know for a fact she never approached her boss or the administration over these sort of situations?

I have not said I know for a fact.

I do know for a fact that she said she usually ignores the kids. I know for a fact that she has stated that she has not reported the kids in question. I know for a fact that she is a school bus monitor (One would assume she was there to insure order in some fashion).

Responsibilities of a School Bus Monitor include:

•Assist the driver in the safe operation of the route.
•Knows the route and remains alert to monitor the welfare of passengers while enroute. Keeps order on the bus.
•Communicates behavior problems and conditions of various stops with the driver.
•Assists in pre-trip and post-trip inspections of the bus utilizing Zonar technology, including child checks.
•Assists students in the loading and unloading process.
•Cooperates and communicates with school personnel, parents and students.
•Attendance at all safety and training meetings.
•Conducts emergency evacuation from the bus, including exiting from the emergency door.
•Opens and closes service doors and moves up and down steps multiple times daily.
•Cleans the insides of the bus including sweeping, dusting and cleaning windows. Cleans outside windows of the bus.
•Other specialized functions as required by contract.

I can't find the interview where she stated that the kids had done this before and that she has not reported them.

I have looked really hard and can't find it again throught all the pollution this story is generating.

[brandon184]

It doesn't really matter. The money is hers now, there isn't anything you can do about it, and your opinions about her job performance are worthless.

Get over it.

[Epidemic]

My opinions are extremely relevant. Perhaps she is spot on when bullying of other kids happen and only lets them bully her.

I still say she set up the environment for this. Is "Lord of the flies" something that was part of your school reading? Even good kids in an uncontrolled environment will quite often will take dark turns.

That is kinda one of the reasons I guess is why they decided to put bus monitors in place in the first place.

Should she receive the money? Hey that is between her and the donors. I don't hate her and if she receives a windfall for this... Oh well such is life in the big city. It is no skin off my ass.

But the larger picture is, what responsibility does a person charged with monitoring and controlling bad behavior. If this is an impotent position, then it should be eliminated if there are impotent people in these postions then they should be eliminated.


Why pay one red cent to a person to sit on the bus if they don't do their job. I can't say for sure that Karen Klien always failed to do her job. But in this video it certainly appeared to show someone who lost complete control.


Personally I would rather people had spent their money elsewhere, but hey I also would rather people not spend their money on lets say gaudy diamonds/baubles or Humvee's. It is most certainly up to them how they spend their money to make themselves feel better.

If I could talk to any of the donors I would recommend that next time the look at the total and while feeling benevolent they check out other causes and rate the worthiness before donating.


How bout to a cause like anti bullying. I think if one were to look really deep into their hearts they would find that she was just the face of bullying. Something that people could relate to. However, the root runs much deeper than her story and injuries much greater to others past present and future.

She did nothing illegal and she did suffer (I still say it was somewhat self inflicted) she didn't even ask for the money so I don't fault her at all for receiving the funds.

[brandon184]

What do you think she should have done to control these children, exactly? I already noted above where she talked about how she had little support from school administrators when it came to reporting children. It's no secret that even teachers have limited power when it comes to controlling children, so you think a parent is going to allow a lowly bus monitor to discipline their child? Not in 2012.

[Mikev2.0]

The kids have been suspended for one year and must complete 50 hours of community service.

[tony_j15]

Sounds like a story book ending to me.

[Epidemic]

I already noted above where she talked about how she had little support from school administrators when it came to reporting children.

great, do you have a link? I can't find the link where she said she did not even report these boys in the past. I would like to see your report if you can find it.

I am totally open minded. If she is not the problem then the administrators are and the monitor program is of dubious value. Either way Lord of the Flies law does apply. Even good kids can go bad when left to their own devices. I have said before if the administration did not support her then she deserves the money because that is hostile work environment.

But as for what should she have done. She should have reported the boys, they should have been denied bussing services. Ideally when the first couple snide comments happened she should have warned the kids if it continued then the bus should have been turned around and the kids forced off the bus into administrators hands. parents should have then been called to pick up their little brats. If the School system denies her any tools then the monitor program is probably not worth it and should be abolished.

[brandon184]

great, do you have a link? I can't find the link where she said she did not even report these boys in the past. I would like to see your report if you can find it.

Bullied Bus monitor Karen Klein interview - YouTube

Interviewer: You didn't write them up. Why not?

Klein: Because it was almost the last day of school, and I thought why bother, what good's it going to do? A lot of times, you'd write a referral and nothing would be done about it anyway.

Perhaps bus monitors are not required. I rode the bus when I was a kid and we didn't have bus monitors and it wasn't a problem. Though all of that is really irrelevant. You started this thread to complain about how much money she was getting and my position remains the same: the private transactions between her and her donors are none of our business.

[pickel]

But as for what should she have done. She should have reported the boys, they should have been denied bussing services. Ideally when the first couple snide comments happened she should have warned the kids if it continued then the bus should have been turned around and the kids forced off the bus into administrators hands. parents should have then been called to pick up their little brats. If the School system denies her any tools then the monitor program is probably not worth it and should be abolished.

If the parents, today, would do as mine did and the other parents in my grammar and high school ( parochial ) and let the teachers beat their little asses without penalty or censure, these kids would SOON straighten out their act and fly in true course.
The educational system, these days, is quite lacking.

[Epidemic]

If the parents, today, would do as mine did and the other parents in my grammar and high school ( parochial ) and let the teachers beat their little asses without penalty or censure, these kids would SOON straighten out their act and fly in true course.
The educational system, these days, is quite lacking.

I half agree with you. I have seen the beatings abused and generally speaking I cant see society standing for it.

I think at the very least the children should have been written up and school contacting the parents. Allowing this to go on just fosters bad behavior. She thought why bother??? This is about as bad as behavior gets if why bother is her idea with this then I have to think that virtually nothing should be addressed.

brandon,
Regardless of what the first post stated the conversation has evolved to considering the validity of the position, or the environment that the school sets up by not responding to monitors complaints. Either way something has to change and the students are the symptom more than the disease.



Interviewer "Tell Us how the kids started to bully you"
Karen Klien "They actually started a while ago, but I didn't write a refferal for them"

Now kids are suspended for a year. I think a surprising number of kids would get involved on the lord of the flies bus given the lack or repercussions and dicipline. I don't think it is right but I can see where otherwise reasonably good kids could have been sucked into this by peer pressure. Kids this age are horrible little creatures given half a chance. I am all for punishing them, Although I am not sure a year suspension is right either.

Perhaps if bullying in general was treated this way I might agree because the victims of peer bullying I feel are much less prepared to deal with it than a mature lady.

Although it is more unusual to see kids pick on an adult. I don't know if we have a rampant problem of adults being bullied but we certainly have a bunch of kids being harmed.