Sorry to say, I'm not surprised at this at all having heard the stories my two middle schoolers have come home with every day.
Maybe this will be a wake up call for all of us and help open up dialogue between parents and kids about their behavior when they're out in the world independently for those first few years and beyond. A lot of work is needed, and I think it has to come primarily from the home. I've been impressed with the work the school has done, but it's a joke to some of the troublemakers and apparently not enough.
I also believe (based on what I've seen and who I know) that even basically good kids can act like jerks sometimes, especially in a group. And especially in middle school.
I just showed the video to my kids and they were angry about it, and sad. Both of my kids have stuck up for others getting bullied or harrassed before (and have been bullied themselves) and I'm proud of them, but it shouldn't have to be a daily occurrence. I'm pretty sure that if DD had seen that happening, she would have stepped in. She's done it before on her own bus and at the bus stop. It hasn't always endeared her to others but she doesn't care much. (Resultingly, comments to her are generally passive-aggressive, such as telling her her outfit's mismatched, not letting her sit at a table at lunch, excluding from a group, etc. Kids who want to be mean will find a way even if it's subtle, which continues the viscious cycle. There aren't too many kids in MS who want to be ostracized let alone are willing to risk it for someone else. Middle schoolers are all about "fitting in", etc. I don't know what the answers are but these have been my observations.)
I just saw on the news that Karen is 68 yrs old and a grandmother to 8. It sounds like she hasn't had an easy life (since she said, "I've dealt with everything else, I'll deal with this, too"). She also does not want to press charges against the kids, but hopes this will serve as a lesson to others.
I also agree with Mrs. Pete, she's probably not the best person for this job! (I could picture my own mother being almost exactly the same way as Karen.
My mother's a great lady but I do have her to thank for helping me learn to be assertive.)
I fell asleep last night thinking who would make a better replacement as a monitor on the bus? For some reason Robin Williams came to mind. Wouldn't you love to hear his responses to some of these kids?