Statements of apology have been issued to bus monitor Karen Klein after several students verbally harassed her on the bus ride home from Athena Middle School in Greece, N.Y.
The statements were issued by at least three of the student bullies. "I am so sorry for the way I treated you," one of the students identified as "Josh," said in a statement issued by police to Anderson Cooper 360. "When I saw the video I was disgusted and could not believe I did that. I am sorry for being so mean and I will never treat anyone this way again."
A second student, "Wesley," also issued a similar statement, which said, "I feel really bad about what I did. I wish I had never done those things. If that had happened to someone in my family, like my mother or grandmother, I would be really mad at the people who did that to them."
The mother of this student also released a statement to Anderson Cooper 360 writing, "I cannot even tell you how badly I feel. I am deeply sorry for what my son did...I am embarrassed, angry and sad about the awful way he treated you."
CBS News has reported that the bullies as well as their families have received death threats since the incident.
A video of the occurrence went viral and created a spur of supporters for 68-year-old Klein. A fundraiser was started to give her a vacation from her job for a while. Its original goal was to raise $5,000, but as of Friday, donations have surpassed $500,000 and the video has been viewed by over 3.7 million people.
