Who Should Be a School Bus Monitor? [Re Klein video incident]

Woman Around Town ^ | June 25, 2012 | Charlene Giannetti

[QT3.14]

By now the whole world has seen the video of a group of middle school boys bullying Karen Klein, the school bus monitor in Greece, New York. The boys have been vilified, their families threatened, and the school board will decide whether the boys will be suspended for the entire 2012-2013 school year. An online site has collected more than $500,000 for Klein and she is being showered with gifts, including an expense-paid trip to Disney World by ABC, which owns the theme park.

An important issue, however, is not being addressed. What were Klein’s qualifications for being a school bus monitor and what training did she receive? If she couldn’t even protect herself from the bullying she endured, what were the chances that she would be able to protect a child put in a similar situation? Being a school bus monitor these days involves more than just making sure children don’t forget their lunches or their backpacks. The job requires protecting the safety and well-being of all the children who board.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We aren't allowed to have minimum standards for cops and firefighers because that would be racist/sexist/homopohobic, but we must have minimum standards for bus monitors because their job is so much more important?

[Albion Wilde]

"Hi, y'all keeds. Mah name Bubba, an' Ah be yore bus monytore t'day. Siddown!"

[95B30]

Return to neighborhood schools and do away with the school buses all together. Kids could WALK to school! And trust me, a little rain or snow or cold won't damage the poor pantywaists.

[William of Barsoom]

“The Boys have been vilified,” it said.

Good.

Expulsion outright seems appropriate. These little predators deserve it. It will “calibrate” them for life, and might catch the smug attention of any of their like-minded buds.

The parents? Tough. They raised predators with no pity. Suffer the expense of private school or military academy.

Viscious little creeps.

[super7man]

When I was a kid, if you were misbehaving on the school bus you got dropped off right where you were. I lived in a rural area and for some of the kids it was a long walk home.

Oh, and when word got out that you were “kicked off the bus” there was usually a Dad that was ready to deal with it at home.

Didn’t happen to often, and never to me. ;o)

Today, the School District would get sued out of existance if the bus driver dumped a kid off. Times were different.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

I read one of the parents of the kids said they had been harrassed enough.

I don’t think so. You inflicted your demonic spawn on us and you will need to face that disgusting fact every day for the rest of your life. YOU are the problem- the fact that you, and others like you, have bred these monsters is what is sending this country to hell faster than a greased bobsled.

[madprof98]

Gee, maybe we should set up a Federal program to handle this.

I'd be willing to bet that our federal taxes are funding more than one such program already. But maybe we need a bipartisan study panel to evaluate their effectiveness and recommend additional funding.

[notaliberal]

Right on brother! I got an hour detention, for chewing gum—today the kids would just laugh at you for that!

I see the girls wearing shorts so short you can almost see their rear ends.

I used to pick up my granddaughter at school and the way some parents dress their kids is disgusting—off the shoulder tops—some even dressed as ballerina’s….and this is a middle high income area!!!

[Blue Ink]

Can we just take a moment and acknowledge that the libby-lib author is BLAMING the VICTIM?

“If she couldn’t even protect herself...”

I see. So it’s HER fault.

That’s the headline here.

[Boogieman]

The qualifications for being a school bus monitor are probably that you are willing to do that crappy job and aren’t a felon.

[Americanexpat]

Turn thye bus monitoring over to the TSA.´Hey they cured me of flying.

[X-spurt]

Two cameras, one front and one rear for solid id on any person on the bus bullying or disturbing the peace and do as you say.

Yeah, I know.... cameras everywhere, but in critical safety situations they are a very good tool. The one place society does not need a video camera is in every kids possession for bragging rights evidence.

Kids can be very cruel and will do anything they think they can get away with, that’s human nature. Once its understood there will be stern consequences for their actions, 98% of this will cease.

There are two important reasons there is so much disturbance going on in “public” schools, 1. the kids think they are untouchable by anyone in authority & 2. severe lack of parenting.

[dsc]

“to sum it up - liberalism is the problem!!!”

Yes.

One other specific is the need for tort reform.

When the little animals’ parents try to sue, the judge’s response should be, “Bailiff, kick their @sses.”

[Frank_2001]

Best suggestion yet;)

[elpadre]

amen!

[pioneerstakethearrows]

Yes. Schools should hire our unemployed military veterans.

[dsrtsage]

[Conservative4Ever]

Won’t be much of a question here in CA as our education budget is not allowing for transportation.

[Conservative4Ever]

Not just little creeps, but...thugs in training.

[rabidralph]

What were Klein’s qualifications for being a school bus monitor and what training did she receive?

Klein used to be a bus driver. My guess is that she didn't want to be a driver anymore but she still wanted to/had to work and the only other job she could get in the school system was the bus monitor. Which seems to be a made up job for hangers-on to do until they drop dead. I am very sorry that Mrs. Klein was treated so badly by those brats and I'm happy for the response she's receiving, but times are bad when children can't behave themselves on a ride to school.