A Colorado school bus aide has been arrested after a video appeared to show her physically abusing a child with severe autism during a bus ride. She has also been accused of abusing two other children with severe autism.
Kiarra Jones, 29, faces felony assault charges for crimes against at-risk children, according to the Englewood, Colorado, police. In a press release on April 10, 2024, the Rathod Mohamedbhai law firm said that the three students endured "extreme physical and mental abuse" over a six-month period while on a Littleton Public Schools special needs bus.
"It was determined that more than one non-verbal autistic student was assaulted by the suspect on a moving school bus while en route to school," the Englewood Police Department asserted in a statement. "It was also determined that the suspect was the victims’ assigned paraprofessional employed by Littleton Public School District at the time of the incident."
The parents of the children explained that they noticed "significant shifts in their child’s behavior and noticed physical injuries on their child, including unexplained scratches, bruises, a lost tooth, a broken toe, a black eye, and other deep bruises on their bodies and feet," starting in September 2023. In January 2024, they contacted the school with their concerns.
"They did a sham investigation in which they looked at one ride," said Ciara Anderson, an attorney with the firm. "They did no other investigation, they asked no other questions and they provided no other monitoring. Because of these horrific failures by the school district, the bus aide was emboldened to continue her abuse — and she did."
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Jones was released on a $5,000 bond. She was also fired the same day she was arrested. "This kind of behavior cannot be and is not tolerated," Todd Lambert, the district superintendent stated. "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."
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
