(ReliableNews.org) – April is Autism Awareness Month. It celebrates kids who are born with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Several children with ASD made national headlines recently when their paraprofessional abused them. Now, the accused woman is out of jail on bail and parents are demanding answers about what happened.
On April 4, police in Arapahoe County, Colorado, arrested Kiarra Monte Laron Jones, 29, for allegedly abusing kids in her care while they were riding the bus to The Joshua School. The school specializes in one-on-one education for kids on the spectrum. Jones is accused of allegedly abusing at least three children.
One of the incidents was reportedly captured on video. The footage, taken on March 18, shows a woman striking, punching, and stomping a non-verbal child. A law firm representing the families released the heartwrenching video footage.
Police charged Jones with crimes against an at-risk juvenile and crimes against an at-risk juvenile causing injury. She was released the day after her arrest on a $5,000 bond.
According to reports, Jones’ arrest came after families began noticing unexplained injuries on their non-verbal children. The injuries date back to the summer of 2023. Attorney Ciara Anderson said those injuries included “scratches, bruises, a lost tooth, a black eye, a broken toe and other deep bruises and marks on the bodies” of their kids.
The Littleton Public School District is now facing allegations of neglect for failing to uncover the alleged abuse sooner. About a dozen parents attended a school board meeting and demanded answers. One of the parents, Blake McBride, said his son was one of the alleged victims. He called for Superintendent Todd Lambert to resign, Denver 7 reported.
Board President Angela Christensen interrupted the angry father and told him he wasn’t allowed to speak out “against any district personnel.”
McBride called that a “silly” policy since their district hurt his child.
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