A former Littleton Public Schools bus aide who was captured on video assaulting nonverbal, autistic children on their way to and from school in Englewood was sentenced Thursday to 4 ½ years in prison.
Kiarra Jones, 30, pleaded guilty in January to 10 counts of third-degree assault against an at-risk person, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine up to $100,000, and two counts of child abuse, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 364 days in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.
Weeks later, three families whose children were abused by Jones reached a $3.85 million settlement with Littleton Public Schools, which oversees The Joshua School, a school for kids ages 3 to 21 with developmental disabilities.
The students, who rely on caregivers to provide for their basic needs, were unable to communicate for months that anything was wrong, according to their families’ attorneys. Their parents instead began to notice injuries, including a fractured bone, a lost tooth and a black eye, and unexplained behavioral changes.
“Children with special needs rely on us without question and trust was broken,” one parent, Kevin Yarbrough, told the judge Thursday. “It’s not just a mistake, it is a failure of the very system meant to protect them.”.
Yarbrough asked District Court Judge Laqunya Baker to apply the maximum punishment to send a clear message to those “who harm the defenseless.”
“If there are no real consequences, then what message are we sending, your Honor? My son was hurt by someone trusted to keep him safe. To her, my son did not matter,” he said.
Jones was arrested in April 2024 after a 10-year-old boy’s parents reported bruises on his foot and a police officer reviewed footage from an on-bus camera showing Jones assaulting children on three separate bus rides to the school.
She was fired the same day the parent made the report, the district superintendent said.
Bus footage released by the families’ attorneys in April 2024 prompted a call for action for a deeper review of what the parents said was months of abuse.
Littleton Public Schools has since changed its policies, mandating a weekly review of bus surveillance. Bus footage must also be saved for 30 days. A special transportation task force, made up of parents, district staff and experts, will continue to meet to recommend changes in transportation policies and oversight, the school said. This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
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