Klein Reacts to Apologies
By: Ashley Zilka
Updated: June 22, 2012
A Greece school bus monitor who was bullied by some middle school students is hearing from the boys.
Karen Klein got letters of apology Friday, but they had to be delivered by police because of concerns over the safety of the boys and their families.
"From Wesley. I really feel bad about what I did. I wish I would had never done those things. If that would have happened to someone in my family like my mother or grandmother, I would be really mad at the people who did that to them," said Klein.
One of the students wrote "When I saw that video I was disgusted and could not believe I did that. I am sorry for being so mean and will never treat anyone this way again," said Josh.
Klein says she understands the students apologized, but questions if they truly know what they did. She says she's not ready to see them.
"I just don't want to. I can picture their faces that's enough. I don't want to talk to them. I don't want them to think they are going to get away with anything because we talk and maybe apologize to me and I'm going to forgive them just like that. No," said Klein.
Parents also expressed their remorse and apologized for their sons' actions.
"I woke up Wednesday morning to find out about the video from multiple phone calls. I was shocked and disgusted when I saw it. It made me cry to see how cruel my son and other boys were being to you," said Wesley's mother.
Another parent wrote "Like Luis said, if your friend says to bully somebody, please don't do it...A couple of people have already died because of this. We apologize to Ms. Klein. We're deeply sorry," said Luis' father.
"Okay. They apologized fine, but are they really, really serious? Do they really know how bad they were? It's hard to say. I don't know if they are or not," said Klein.
Klein says she does not want to see the kids suspended, but she would like them to be banned from the bus for a year.
