We often think about bullying as being one child picking on another child but the fact is, it can happen to anyone. That fact became all to real for a 68 year old woman who had worked for the school district for 23 years. Karen Klein went through what she referred to as “one of the worst acts of human behavior that I have ever had to endure.” Videos were uploaded to Facebook and YouTube of this bullying. The students were calling her names and taunting her until she broke down in tears.
One of the things that the student said was that her family killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near to her. The reality was, her husband passed away and her son had committed suicide 10 years before this incident occurred. They go on to mock her age, appearance and clothing and even threatened her when she starts crying.
When the videos were uploaded, they sparked outrage around the world and many of them sought justice for Karen. One of the viewers was a stranger who had been bullied as a child and he did something special for Karen.
68-year-old Karen Klein had been working for the school district for 23 years. She was a widow since 1995 and has 8 grandchildren. She uses a hearing aid because she is partially deaf.
For 20 years, Karen was a bus driver and then she was a bus monitor for three years. It was her responsibility to oversee the children’s safety on the bus and ensure that the students behave themselves.
On one particular day, her life was changed when four male students in the seventh grade began verbally assaulting her as she worked as a bus monitor. They videotaped themselves doing so and you can hear their nasty comments about her age and appearance.
Karen did her best to ignore the bullying but when she admitted that she was crying, they just continued to bully her more. They not only called her names, they touched her and even threatened to physically harm her.
One boy talked about her family saying they all killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near her. In reality, her son had committed suicide 10 years prior to this incident.
There were 3 different videos uploaded to social media. They had millions of views and sparked an outrage worldwide. Everywhere, people were demanding justice for Karen.
Local police worked along with the school officials in launching an investigation before they revealed the identities of the bullies to the public. Karen decided not to press charges, partly because the bullies started receiving threats.
The boys were suspended from school for a full academic year. They were each required to complete 50 hours of community service and a program in bullying prevention.
Karen used her newfound fame to advocate anti-bullying.
Acts of generosity began pouring in and that is where her story takes an interesting turn. Southwest Airlines offered to pay for a trip for Karen but it is what a stranger did that really took her by surprise.
His name is Max Sidorov and he is an immigrant from the Ukraine. He had heard about her story and it had an impact on him so he started an online campaign to give her a vacation.
The original amount of the campaign was $5000 but it raised over $650,000!
Karen has since announced her plans to retire as a bus monitor. She put her earnings to good use by establishing the Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation.
You have all inspired me by your acts of love,” Karen writes on her website. “But now it is time for me to give back and to turn your single act of kindness into my own personal movement to stop bullying in America. The Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation, which I am seeding with $100,000, will be the gathering point for millions of people to support the anti-bullying movement.
Together, we will change the world.”
You can see an apology from a parent in this video:
Via: Little Things
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