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Littleton Public School bus aide fired after Colorado students with autism “traumatized and tortured”
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 and told CBS News Colorado – that bus was a place of what one attorney called torture.
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“They took my trust and spit on it,” said Devin, the father of 10-year-old Dax, in a press conference, fighting back tears as described what happened to his son.
The families asked that their last names not to 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.
“It was a heavy decision to make to uncover it, but we cannot bring attention to this if we don’t look at it,” said Dax’s mother, Jess. “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.”
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.
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“How could someone that I trusted, someone that I was so friendly with do this to my little boy?” Jess said tearfully. “The torture and torment of my sweet boy could’ve been stopped.”
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 with her Dax did not suffer those injuries while in their care. Jess said she then brought her concerns 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.
“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 said. “I went to the LPS transportation building and was in utter shock.”
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.
“My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me when someone is hurting him,” said another child’s father. “My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me that he was forced to watch someone hurt his friends.”
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.
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“They had everything they needed to stop it faster and they didn’t,” said attorney Ed C. Hopkins, of the Rathod Mohamedbhai law firm. “They had notice and they ignored it. These children have been traumatized and tortured because they failed them.”
A failure, Jess said, is blatantly obvious in the alarming video she wants the world to see.
“Although it’s hard to watch, that’s what my child has endured for months due to inaction by Littleton Public Schools,” she said. “He had to live through that every day. The least we can do is bring awareness to a situation that is unfortunately more common than you would think. There needs to be change.”
LPS declined multiple requests for an interview but did share a letter a district spokesperson said the superintendent emailed to LPS parents on April 5. It states an internal investigation began March 19, Jones was fired, and police were notified.
“This kind of behavior cannot be and is not tolerated,” the letter reads. “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.”
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.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
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Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.