Fractured bones, a knocked-out tooth, deep bruises, and immeasurable heartache– those are just some of the injuries suffered by at least three students with autism allegedly at the hands of a Littleton Public Schools paraprofessional trusted to care for them.
The kids take a dedicated bus provided by the LPS transportation system to get to one of Colorado’s most highly regarded private schools for students with autism – The Joshua School. Yet, as some parents discovered, that bus was a place of what one attorney called torture.
The families asked that their last names not be shared, but Dax’s parents did want the video of their son to be made public without blurring or redaction. Dax is non-verbal, so his facial reactions and body language are what speak for him, his parents said.
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. She repeatedly elbowed him in the stomach, slapped his face, and stomped on his feet.
Jess said she noticed strange bumps and bruises on her son months ago, dating back to September 2023. She brought her concerns to staff at The Joshua School, who confirmed that Dax did not suffer those injuries while in their care. Jess said she expressed her fears to LPS, but they told her there was nothing to be concerned about. Then, Jess said, her son’s injuries became worse, and she demanded answers from the district.
The video made her sick, she said, and that stomach-turning intensified when police said other children were also abused, allegedly at the hands of Jones as well.
Now, the parents of three young students are prepared to sue the school district. They say LPS knew about their abuse concerns for months and seemingly turned a blind eye.
LPS shared a district spokesperson’s letter that the superintendent emailed to LPS parents on April 5. It states the district learned a parent observed injuries after being transported home on March 19. That’s when an internal investigation began, Jones was fired, and police were notified.
Yet that’s over six months after three families say they started raising concerns about observed injuries to LPS staff.
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.
