Bullied school bus monitor calls it quits: She’s retiring

The bullied school bus monitor is headed for retirement with a nicely feathered nest -- thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Karen Klein, the 68-year-old grandmother and school bus monitor who was mercilessly bullied in an incident captured on video earlier this summer, is calling it quits.

Klein’s harassment garnered attention around the globe, giving many people a front-row seat to what it’s like to be bullied. The video went viralonline and triggered an outpouring of support.

An online campaign that started as a way to raise a few bucks to send Klein on a much-needed vacation ended up raising more than $703,000 -- an amount that underscored the appalling nature of the video.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the Rochester, N.Y., woman said she wasn’t quitting because of the actions of the seventh-graders. She said it was a tough decision to leave the job she had held for three years but that it’s simply time to move on.

The Greece Central School District in suburban North Greece, N.Y., suspended the bullying students for a year.

Efforts to reach Klein’s daughter, who has been acting as her media spokeswoman, were not successful by the time this story was posted online.

ALSO:

Arizona defendant killed self with cyanide, autopsy says

Documents: Colorado suspect sent notebook to psychiatrist

Dane Cook joke about theater shooting just isn’t funny, some say

Join Rene Lynch on Google+ and Twitter. Email: [email protected]