Bus monitor bullies that picked on Karen Klein get suspended for full year

The kids that harassed bus monitor Karen Klein in a video that went viral on YouTube last week have been suspended from Athena Middle School and the school bus for one year, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported. 

While getting to skip class for a year may sound more like a reward than a punishment, the students aren't actually off-the-hook from going to school. In a statement posted by WIVB, the Greece School District said that the students will instead spend the next year at another school, called the Reengagement Center. According to the press release, the school offers an "alternative education program" that has students "take responsibility for their actions," by doing activities such as community service. In this case, each of the four students will be required to complete 50 hours of community service with senior citizens. They also will be required to complete a program in bullying prevention.

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If they follow the rules, the students will be able to apply for readmission to Athena Middle School in 30 weeks, National Public Radio reported.

The students made headlines last week after a 10-minute-long video surfaced on YouTube. In the video, the group of kids launches vicious verbal assaults on 68-year-old bus monitor Karen Klein. After it went viral, strangers began raising money for Klein in a fund that has collected over $600,000. Some of the students have since apologized.