Over the past year or so there's been a growing focus on preventing bullying. It usually happens among kids, but a new video on YouTube has gone viral and shows it's not just kids who get bullied.
The school bus is a common place for bullies to prey on their victims. We've seen videos and heard stories of kids verbally attacking kids, but a new video that's blowing up on the Internet shows some kid bullies picking on someone more than twice their age.
Student: Karen, are you sweating? You're not sweating? Why is there water down your face?
Karen: I'm crying. I'm crying all over.
Student: Yeah, she probably misses her box of Twinkies.
That's the conversation between a group of New York middle school students and their bus monitor, Karen Klein.
"Karen put those sunglasses back on, looking like a troll," one of the students says.
For the most part, Klein ignored the bullies, but at times she did speak up.
The 10 minute video has sparked outrage across the country. Dr. Tom Holmes says it's not uncommon for kids to gang up on one person, even if the victim is much older.
"Like a wolf pack will have that sense of collaborative and they seek out that which one is most vulnerable," Dr. Holmes said.
Dr. Holmes warns it's important for parents and the community to put a stop to the bullying behavior before it spirals into something more serious like physical abuse.
"Individuals like myself or you or anybody will say your bullying days are over. We will not allow that in this community and we're going to do everything we can to stop it," he said.
Since that video's gone viral, someone set up a fund to send Karen Klein on vacation. It's already raised more than $275,000.
Here in our community the Partnership for Violence Free Families has an anti-bullying program it brings into local schools which involves individuals, classrooms, parents, and communities to stop bullies in their tracks.
For more information on that program, go to http://www.pvff.org/olweus.php
The 10 minute video has sparked outrage across the country. Dr. Tom Holmes says it's not uncommon for kids to gang up on one person, even if the victim is much older.
