Footage shared on Tuesday morning shows exactly how Colorado's paraprofessional Kiarra Jones assaulted an autistic child seated just beside her, along with two other children.
Scratches, bruises, a lost tooth, a broken toe, and a black eye are some of the physical injuries those three students are suffering from.
Recorded on March 18, the footage captures Jones inflicting physical harm on the young boy, named Dax, including elbow strikes to his stomach, slaps across his face, and foot stomps.
Dax’s parents have chosen to make the disturbing footage of their son public, unblurred and unredacted, to highlight the severity of the situation. Dax is non-verbal and communicates through his expressions and movements.
Reports clearly say that at least three autistic students from Joshua School have allegedly endured severe physical abuse by the paraprofessional assigned to their care.
{{/usCountry}}Reports clearly say that at least three autistic students from Joshua School have allegedly endured severe physical abuse by the paraprofessional assigned to their care.
{{/usCountry}}ALSO READ| ‘Moon made of glass’, Democratic Congresswoman blasted for misinforming students
The distressing incidents have not only left the children with grave injuries but also with profound emotional trauma.
The Joshua School schoolgoers relied on a dedicated Littleton Public School (LPS) bus for transportation. Unbeknownst to their parents, this journey became a recurring nightmare. What should have been a safe space turned into a setting of alleged abuse, described by one attorney as “torture.”
Parents are devasted after the revelation of videos
The case came to light during a press conference where Devin, the father of 10-year-old Dax, shared his anguish. “They took my trust and spit on it,” he 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,” explained Jess, Dax’s mother.
“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.”
Jess tearfully questioned how someone she trusted could harm her child so grievously. “The torture and torment of my sweet boy could’ve been stopped,” she lamented.
Littleton Public Schools have allegedly ignore the case
The initial signs of abuse appeared months earlier, with Jess noticing unusual injuries on Dax since September 2023. After confirming with The Joshua School that these injuries did not occur on their premises, Jess approached LPS with her concerns, only to be dismissed. As Dax’s condition worsened, Jess’s concern mounted.
“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,” Jess recounted. Theviewing of the video at the LPS transportation building left her utterly devastated.
ALSO READ| 'Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is flawed', FAA says its investigating whistleblower claims
“My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me when someone is hurting him,” a father of another affected child stated. “
My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me that he was forced to watch someone hurt his friends.”
The families are now gearing up for legal action against LPS, accusing the district of neglecting their concerns for months and effectively ignoring the signs of abuse. Kiarra Jones faces a preliminary hearing in Arapahoe County Court on May 3 at 1:30 p.m., charged with third-degree assault and injury against at-risk juveniles.