A Colorado school bus aide was caught on video allegedly torturing an autistic, nonverbal 10-year-old child — and the victim’s tearful parents are expressing outrage.
What’s more, the boy reportedly isn’t the only victim of the now-former Littleton Public Schools paraprofessional.
What are the details?
KCNC-TV reported that the suspect allegedly caused injuries such as fractured bones, a knocked-out tooth, and deep bruises to at least three students with autism while they rode a bus the district provides, which brings the students to the Joshua School — one of the state’s most highly regarded private schools for students with autism.
The families of the victims asked that their last names not be shared, KCNC added.
“They took my trust and spit on it,” Devin, the father of 10-year-old Dax, tearfully stated during a press conference, the station said.
Dax’s parents wanted the disturbing video of what happened to their son made public without blurring his face, as they said their nonverbal boy’s facial expressions and body language are what speak for him, KCNC reported.
“It was a heavy decision to make to uncover it, but we cannot bring attention to this if we don’t look at it,” Dax’s mother, Jess, said, according to the station. “It’s ugly to look at, but it’s important to see how confused and afraid he was in that video. It just speaks to his vulnerability, and it speaks to the terror he had to endure while on that bus.”
More from KCNC:
That video was shared Tuesday morning, showing Dax aboard that LPS bus sitting next to paraprofessional Kiarra Jones. It was recorded March 18 and captures Jones, 28, physically abusing the 10-year-old boy – repeatedly elbowing him in the stomach, slapping his face, and stomping on his feet.
“How could someone that I trusted, someone that I was so friendly with, do this to my little boy?” Jess asked tearfully, the station said. “The torture and torment of my sweet boy could’ve been stopped.”
KCNC reported that Jess said she began noticing bumps and bruises on her son dating back to September 2023, after which she told Joshua School staff, who confirmed with her that Dax didn’t suffer those injuries while in their care.
She added to the station that she pivoted to LPS, but they said there was nothing to be concerned about. After Dax’s injuries worsened, Jess told KCNC she demanded answers from the district.
“I notified LPS on March 18, and on March 19 got a phone call from Littleton police informing me that an LPS employee had severely abused my child,” she added, according to the station. “I went to the LPS transportation building and was in utter shock.”
Then, Jess was informed that Jones allegedly abused other children as well, KCNC noted.
“My son does not have the ability to tell me when someone’s hurting him,” another victim’s father said, according to the station. “My son does not have the ability to tell me that he was forced to watch someone hurt his friends.”
‘Traumatized and tortured’
Now, the parents of these three students are prepared to sue the school district, KCNC reported, adding that they claim LPS knew about their abuse concerns for months and did nothing.
“They had everything they needed to stop it faster, and they didn’t,” attorney Ed C. Hopkins of the Rathod Mohamedbhai law firm stated, according to the station. “They had notice, and they ignored it. These children have been traumatized and tortured because they failed them.”
KCNC added that Jess said she wants to bring attention to an issue that is “unfortunately more common than you would think. There needs to be change.”
Anything else?
The station said the school district declined multiple requests for an interview but shared a letter a district spokesperson said the superintendent emailed Friday to LPS parents. The letter states that an internal investigation began March 19, Jones was fired, and police were notified, KCNC reported.
“This kind of behavior cannot be and is not tolerated,” the letter reads, according to the station. “As parents, you trust us with the well-being of your children and you should never have to worry about them being harmed when they are in our care.”
More from KCNC:
The letter also claims Jones was hired in August 2023 “after satisfactory reference checks and after passing through a background check.” Jones was arrested on April 4 after the incident was reported to the Englewood Police Department by Littleton police on March 28. She was released from the Arapahoe County Jail on a $5,000 bond on April 5.
Jones is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Arapahoe County Court on May 3 at 1:30 p.m. on charges of crimes against at-risk juvenile third-degree assault and crimes against at-risk juvenile-injury.
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Source: TheBlaze
