Taunted NY bus driver doesn't want bullies charged

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - The viral video of a 68-year-old school bus monitor in New York mercilessly taunted by seventh graders has become an international rallying point against bullying.

A fund for Karen Klein, the grandmother who was the target of the abuse, swiftly raised more than a quarter-million dollars. At the same time, a deluge of people are demanding harsh punishment for the boys.

Police said Klein does not want her young tormenters to face criminal charges, in part because of the storm of criticism the boys from the Rochester suburb of Greece are enduring.

The verbal abuse was captured in a 10-minute cellphone video recorded Monday by an Athena Middle School student and later posted to YouTube. It had more than 2 million views by Thursday afternoon.

The CDC reports that one in four students will be bullied in school. To combat bullying Kansas and Missouri school districts turn to the students themselves to report cases of bullying.

Missouri students can report an incident either by calling the Missouri School Violence Hotline phone number, texting 847411 or filling out an online form on the MSVH website . All tips are anonymous. The Hotline forwards any information to individual Missouri school districts.

Kansas schools have a similar process. On the website stopbullyingkansas.com a hotline number is available to call for reporting bullying.

The Missouri School Violence Hotline number is 1-866-748-7047.

The Stop Bullying Kansas hotline number is 877-626-8203.