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Tag: kiarra jones

  • Civil lawsuit against Englewood school claims staff failed to report child abuse in Kiarra Jones case

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    ENGLEWOOD — Parents of several children with autism are suing The Joshua School, alleging that staff allowed a Littleton Public Schools bus aide to abuse their children for months despite multiple reports to staff of unexplained injuries.

    Kiarra Jones, the former bus aide, pleaded guilty earlier this month to 10 counts of third-degree assault of an at-risk child and two counts of child abuse for assaulting three children on a school bus in 2024. Bus surveillance video shows Jones elbowing, punching, hitting and stomping on one of the children while sitting next to him.

    A civil lawsuit filed against The Joshua School and five staff members claims staff repeatedly failed to act after receiving multiple reports about physical injuries to children, including scratches, bruises, a lost tooth, a fractured foot and a black eye. The lawsuit says warning signs of abuse began in September 2023, when school staff observed significant behavioral changes in the three child victims.

    Read the full lawsuit below.

    Instead of acting as mandatory reporters and reporting suspected abuse to law enforcement or child protective services, the lawsuit said the school’s policy directed its employees to refer all complaints to the school’s executive director for investigation.

    Jessica Vestal, one of the parents suing the school, said she first noticed something was wrong when her son Dax, who is non-verbal and has autism, had bruises on his arms, ribs and thighs in January 2024.

    “I was happily handing him over to these people that I thought that I could trust,” she said. “My kid is covered in bruises, and I’m reaching out to people that I thought I had a really good relationship with and could really lean on for support and to tell me the truth and what’s going on.”

    Vestal said she made multiple reports over the next few months about the unexplained injuries to her son. The civil lawsuit claims staff blamed some of Dax’s bruising on self-injurious behavior.

    The lawsuit, however, includes a January 2024 text message exchange between a teacher and the school’s director about Dax’s injuries. The school’s director writes to the teacher, “The bruises look bad.” The teacher responds, “Yeah. Like the arms are def[initely] fingers/hands.” The lawsuit said the school’s director followed up with the teacher to ask if Dax ever grabs his own arms. The teacher, according to the lawsuit, responded, “No.”

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    “Months and months of abuse could have been prevented,” said Ciara Anderson, one of the attorneys representing the group of parents. “Colorado law requires that mandatory reporters make a report whenever they have a suspicion of abuse.”

    The Joshua School sent Denver7 the following statement in response to the civil lawsuit:

    JOSHUA SCHOOL STATEMENT ON LAWSUIT

    Statement provided to Denver7 by The Joshua School

    Jones was arrested in April 2024 and fired from the district. She pleaded guilty to 12 of 13 charges in a plea agreement earlier this month and is awaiting sentencing.

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Maggie Bryan

    Denver7’s Maggie Bryan covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on public safety. If you’d like to get in touch with Maggie, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • Former school bus aide accused of abusing nonverbal, children with autism pleads guilty Monday morning

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    Update | Monday, January 5 at 8:55 a.m. | Kiarra Jones pleaded guilty to 12 of the 13 charges she initially faced. As part of a plea agreement the judge accepted, the 13th charge was dropped. Her sentencing is set for March 18 at 2 p.m.

    Jury selection is set to start Monday in the trial of Kiarra Jones, a former school bus aide who’s accused of physically abusing three nonverbal, children with severe autism.

    The attorney for these three children’s families told Denver7 that Jones could accept a plea deal Monday morning in the 13 charges she faces.

    If that’s the case, Jones would plead guilty to 10 felonies and two misdemeanors in exchange for a more serious felony charge being dropped. It is still possible, though, that Jones moves forward with the trial as scheduled.

    This case came to light after school bus footage from March of 2024 was released, appearing to show Jones repeatedly hitting 10-year-old Dax, a nonverbal boy with autism. At times, he appears to try to protect himself with his hands.

    Shortly after, Dax’s parents both spoke at a press conference along with the other affected families about watching that video.

    “The most sacred thing I can do is trust someone with is my children especially when my son isn’t capable of telling me he’s being abused,” Dax’s dad said.

    “How could someone that I trusted, someone that I was so friendly with do this to my little boy,” Jess Vestal, Dax’s mom, said.

    The legal team for the three families told Denver7 in-part:

    “For the past two years, Jones has walked freely despite video evidence of her inflicting unconscionable abuse on the most vulnerable members of our community. The families look forward to taking a step toward closure.”

    Kiarra Jones is represented by the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, which does not comment on active cases.

    The hearing is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Denver7 will be in the Arapahoe County courtroom and bring you the latest updates.

    Prior coverage:

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Sophia Villalba

    Denver7’s Sophia Villalba covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in covering education. If you’d like to get in touch with Sophia, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • Littleton parents confront school board after bus aide caught on camera hitting boy with autism

    Littleton parents confront school board after bus aide caught on camera hitting boy with autism

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    LITTLETON, Colo. — More than a dozen parents confronted the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education Thursday night, pushing for change after a school bus paraprofessional was caught on camera hitting a boy with autism.

    There were tears shed and one father even called on LPS Superintendent Todd Lambert to resign.

    Parent Blake McBride told the board he was contacted by law enforcement who told him his child was a victim of the alleged abuse by Kiarra Jones.

    According to an arrest warrant for Jones filed on April 4, she is facing a charge of crimes against an at-risk adult or juvenile (third-degree assault) and crimes against an at-risk adult or juvenile causing injury. She was arrested on April 5 and released on a $5,000 bond. This is an ongoing investigation, so more criminal charges are possible.

    “I’m calling for Todd Lambert’s resignation and the resignation of the transportation director for lack of action for how they have been running the school district,” McBride said.

    “Blake I’m going to stop you right there,” interrupted Board President Angela Christensen.

    “We will allow you to continue if you refrain from comments against any district personnel,” she continued.

    “That’s silly, because your district has hurt my kid,” McBride responded.

    Jessica Vestel introduced herself at the podium as the mother of the boy in the video many have seen by now, captured on the school bus while on his way to The Joshua School, a specialized learning center that offers one-on-one teaching for children with autism.

    “Our children are non-verbal, but let me tell you, their moms are not,” Vestel said.

    Parents in attendance pushed for better oversight on buses that transport children with special needs.

    “What we’ve been told from Littleton is that nobody routinely audits video footage from school buses,” Brittany Yarbrough, who claims her son also suffered abuse on the same bus route, said.

    Yarbrough wants that to change with “Dax’s Law.”

    It would require schools to routinely monitor school bus cameras and recordings, not just here in Colorado, but across the country.

    “You shouldn’t be waiting for a parent to bring a concern to your doorstep. That’s too little too late. That’s reactive. We need something that’s proactive and focused on the safety of the kids,” Jessica McBride, who said her son was also a victim of abuse, said.

    Superintendent Lambert released a letter to families where he expressed his disgust and anger. He said the district is always looking to “strengthen its practices.”

    Littleton parents confront school board after bus aide arrested for abuse

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