An upstate New York bus monitor made famous by a viralYouTube video in which she was bullied by middle school boys says she plans to retire.
The announcement comes just one week after a donation effort padded the bus monitor's pockets with an extra $700,000.
"I'm not quitting because of what happened. That's not it," Karen Klein, the 68-year-old bus monitor, told The Associated Press. "I enjoyed working with the kids. But I guess it's my time to leave. That's what I've decided."
In the video, Klein is shown sitting on a school bus as teen boys hurl insults at her for 10 minutes, making her cry. The video has been reposted so many times it's impossible to tell how many times it's been viewed, but commenters generally agree that the boys' behavior is unacceptable.
But it was Max Sidorov who was moved to start a fundraiser on Indiegogo.com.
The 25-year-old Canadian called the campaign, "Lets Give Karen – the bus monitor – H Klein a Vacation!" Although Sidorov's goal was to raise $5,000 by mid-July, the site drew in $703,833 from 30,000 donors in all 50 states and more than 84 countries, according to the AP.
