Four US students who gained infamy after a video of their verbal abuse towards a bus monitor went viral have been suspended from school for a year.
Footage of the 12- and 13-year-olds taunting Karen Klein has been viewed some 8 million times.
The school system in the New York state town of Greece says the students must also complete 50 hours of community service with senior citizens.
Mrs Klein, 68, said she did not want the boys to face criminal charges.
She told the Associated Press last week that others should not harass or threaten the students.
"That's not the way to go about things," she said. "They're just kids."
Suicide jibe
An internet campaign to send her on holiday has now raised nearly $670,000 (£427,000).
The online fund was set up by a Toronto man on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo after he saw the video on YouTube.
The clip, Making The Bus Monitor Cry, shows Mrs Klein appearing to break down in tears as she is subjected to a litany of insults.
The barbs include profanities, physical ridicule, taunts and her being told to shut up.
Some ask what her address is, telling her they want to steal from her and perform sexual acts.
One boy tells her she does not have a family as "they all killed themselves because they didn't want to be near you".
Mrs Klein's son killed himself 10 years ago.
In addition to the suspension, the students will not be allowed on a district school bus for a year.
They will be transferred to an alternative education programme, as the school district is required to educate them, and will be able to reapply to their original school at the end of the year.
The boys and their families have admitted wrongdoing and agreed to the suspensions without a hearing.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-cana
OP: Good. I say be even harsher, send them to boot camp for a year and have them clean toilet floors with toothbrushes.
Footage of the 12- and 13-year-olds taunting Karen Klein has been viewed some 8 million times.
The school system in the New York state town of Greece says the students must also complete 50 hours of community service with senior citizens.
Mrs Klein, 68, said she did not want the boys to face criminal charges.
She told the Associated Press last week that others should not harass or threaten the students.
"That's not the way to go about things," she said. "They're just kids."
Suicide jibe
An internet campaign to send her on holiday has now raised nearly $670,000 (£427,000).
The online fund was set up by a Toronto man on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo after he saw the video on YouTube.
The clip, Making The Bus Monitor Cry, shows Mrs Klein appearing to break down in tears as she is subjected to a litany of insults.
The barbs include profanities, physical ridicule, taunts and her being told to shut up.
Some ask what her address is, telling her they want to steal from her and perform sexual acts.
One boy tells her she does not have a family as "they all killed themselves because they didn't want to be near you".
Mrs Klein's son killed himself 10 years ago.
In addition to the suspension, the students will not be allowed on a district school bus for a year.
They will be transferred to an alternative education programme, as the school district is required to educate them, and will be able to reapply to their original school at the end of the year.
The boys and their families have admitted wrongdoing and agreed to the suspensions without a hearing.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-cana
OP: Good. I say be even harsher, send them to boot camp for a year and have them clean toilet floors with toothbrushes.
And what do you call this?
I think it's good that this is taken seriously.
If this helps them get therapy and realize that society takes that sort of sadism seriously, they'll be better off.
And while I'm replying to you- what pronouns do you prefer?
So I guess you go around calling people fat because it's not breaking any laws?
Just because verbal abuse isn't against the law doesn't mean it's not abuse. Words can hurt as much as physical or psychological abuse. Heaven knows they can hurt.
But apparently, to you, it's perfectly OK to go around calling people fat and other hurtful remarks because hey... it's not illegal!
I said they aren't real juvenile offenders because they have not broken the law in any way.
If you want to argue with me about this, try reading what I actually wrote next time.
lc? I'm fairly certain lc does with lc's long record of being a fatphobic ass here and elsewhere on lj.
You can't really lump these kids in with the others.
Edit: Please note that I'm not putting this on the same level as r*pe or anything like that, because the two aren't comparable at all.
Edited at 2012-06-30 09:32 pm (UTC)
I hate it that the line for the seriousness of a crime is "but nobody died." Surely as a society we can be a little more nuanced than that.
WRONG! Just because they used words doesn't make verbal abuse any less hurtful. Words can hurt!
And by the way, they not only poked her, told her to shut up, but also threatened to stick a knife in her, rob her and sexually assault her.
You can excuse cruel behavior like this, but I can't. And heaven help our society if more people thought like you. I find it unconscionable.
God I fucking hate that mentality that just because words don't leave bruises or outward signs of abuse, that they're somehow less important or cause less pain than physical wounds.
The education is a joke.
I also don't disagree that the kids are troubled. I just don't think that they're on the same level as a juvenile out on parole for crimes or anything like that.
[personal info removed]
Alt school would probably be a better solution in cases like this if alt schools didn't put on the shame olympics and actually gave a damn about education. The idea has merit, but the poor support means the one year punishment could affect the rest of their education and future career options. The kids who end up in such schools need more support, not less.
I'd have gone for a year of revoking all privileges like school dances and depending on how that school is set up, on-campus suspension, daily lunch detention, daily afternoon detention, or weekly Saturday school. Also weekly sessions with a school counselor.
Sorry, I have SO MANY FEELS about the subject of alt schools.
ETA: Reading more comments: I think the kids do need to have their horrible behavior corrected as it was a serious offense. I just don't think an alt school where they will be bullied and shamed by adults is the way to do it. It will just likely reinforce their tendency to verbally and emotionally harass people. While also tanking their educations.
EDIT/RETRACTION
In retrospect, my comment was inappropriate, deraily, and way too personal. I apologize for being awful.
Edited at 2012-07-01 10:52 pm (UTC)