Parents of Abused Children Sue School For Failing To Report Injuries
LITTLETON, Colo. — As the criminal case against a bus aide seen on video abusing non-verbal children comes to its conclusion, parents are now taking on a school in civil court alleging staff members failed to report signs of abuse like scratches and bruises.
Kiarra Jones will be sentenced in March after pleading guilty to multiple child abuse charges earlier this month.
The abuse on a Littleton Public Schools school bus occurred over several months from 2023 into 2024 until the district checked video and found Jones repeatedly hitting and striking children.
In the past month, parents of children who were abused by Jones have filed a lawsuit against The Joshua School, a specialized school that cares for children with special needs like autism.
The parents allege in the suit that mandatory reporters at The Joshua School failed to act, as required by state law, to report abuse when children arrived at school with bruises and scratches.
“This wasn’t just an instance of an isolated event of physical abuse. This was prolonged,” mother Jessica Vestal told 9NEWS.
Vestal is mentioned as a plaintiff representing her son Dax.
In the lawsuit filed by the Rathod Mohamedbhai law firm, messages among staff are cited as examples of The Joshua School staff recognizing potential abuse but failing to report.
“The bruises are bad,” one staff member wrote to another.
Another responded, “I really don’t see how his self-injurious behavior (SIB) would have left that.”
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