Newly released footage shows a school bus aide in Littleton, Colo., striking and punching a nonverbal student with severe autism while sitting next to him on the bus, one of several incidents which led to her arrest on April 4.
In the video released Tuesday by attorneys representing several families who are suing the school district, Kiarra Jones, 29, can be seen subtly elbowing the 10-year-old in the ribs, before punching him in the face and appearing to stomp on his feet.
Jones now faces two felony counts of crimes against at-risk children, according to an affidavit filed in Arapahoe County.
“I don’t want this to be something that’s hushed up,” said the 10-year-old’s mother, who requested the video be made public, according to The Denver Post. “I’m sure a lot of people would be like, ‘Why would you put this video of your kid out there?’ If you don’t look at it, the words don’t encompass it. If he had to live through it, the least everybody else could do is pay attention to it so that it doesn’t happen again.”
Police reportedly reviewed additional unreleased footage of Jones assaulting two children during three separate bus rides to and from The Joshua School, one of Colorado’s most esteemed private schools for students with autism.
Some of the injuries they suffered included fractured bones, a knocked-out tooth and deep bruises.
“My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me when someone is hurting him,” said another child’s father, during a press conference Tuesday. “My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me that he was forced to watch someone hurt his friends.”
Littleton Public Schools said in an email to parents that Jones had initially been hired in the district in August 2023, “after satisfactory reference checks and after passing through a background check.”
The district added that Jones had been fired after an internal investigation on March 19, the day after the incident featured in the video.
Since her arrest on April 4, Jones has posted $5,000 bail and was released from Arapahoe County Jail. She’s due in court on May 3 for a preliminary hearing.
“The abuses of special needs children continues to occur because school districts treat this community as a burden rather than a blessing,” said attorney Qusair Mohamedbhai, who represents two of the families involved in the case. “School districts routinely fail to train and support those who work with special needs student populations.”
