DENVER — The Littleton Public Schools District is now under a U.S. Department of Justice investigation in connection with “the months of physical and mental abuse” caused by a former bus aide accused of physically abusing at least three students with severe autism over the course of about six months, one of the lawyers representing the families confirmed with Denver7 Friday.
Qusair Mohamedbhai from Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC also said in a statement that the three parents “intend to bring a civil rights lawsuit” against Littleton Public Schools (LPS) and the Joshua School, a specialized facility that offers one-on-one instruction for children with autism, which contracted with LPS to bring the children to and from school each day.
Mohamedbhai alleged Friday that Littleton district officials “chose not to inform the community of the DOJ investigation for weeks util forced to because of our clients’ efforts,” and further claimed that the district “has shamefully put greater effort into threatening critics rather than protecting its most vulnerable student population.”
In a statement sent to Denver7 late Friday, a spokesperson with Little Public Schools said the DOJ had formally opened an inquiry to determine whether any violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act had occurred in connection with the actions of the former bus aide. The full statement is below.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally opened an inquiry to determine whether any violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act occurred as a result of this incident. We do not know how long the inquiry will take, but we are committed to providing the DOJ any information or other support needed to complete its due diligence.
In addition to conducting our investigation and fully supporting the separate law enforcement investigation, we formed a Special Transportation Task Force. The Task Force is composed of parents of students who receive special transportation, transportation staff members, representatives from student support services, the deputy superintendent and a Board liaison.
The Task Force’s recommended procedure and policy changes were approved by the Board and significant improvements are currently being implemented. The Task Force will continue to meet during this school year and will evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and procedure changes.
Our reporting on this story dates back to April of this year, when Denver7 told you about an arrest affidavit filed against Kiarra Monte Laron Jones, 29, of Littleton, who was accused of repeatedly striking, punching and stomping on one of the children by lawyers representing three different families.
Hear from the families themselves in the link below.
Littleton
Students with autism were abused by Littleton bus aide for months, law firm says
The allegations were made public during a news conference on April 9, in which lawyers shared disturbing video from inside one of the school buses.
Jones had been hired as a paraprofessional by the Littleton Public Schools District and was responsible for the care of the students on the bus.
While the videos are available to watch on this website, viewers discretion is advised due to their disturbing nature.
Jones, the former bus aide, was arrested in April and charged with eight felony counts of third-degree assault of an at-risk person and two misdemeanor counts of child abuse in connection with the school bus footage from March 18, which appeared to show Jones physically assaulting a 10-year-old boy while the child sat quietly next to her on the bus.
Jones is also accused of assaulting a second child with autism. She has since pleaded not guilty to any of the charges brought against her.
She was fired from her role as a bus monitor on March 19. Her trial is set to begin on Feb. 25, 2025.
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