The parents of two Poudre School District students are suing the district and four administrators for employing a school bus paraprofessional with a known criminal history of child abuse who was sent to prison for assaulting children on the buses. The students, who are identified in the lawsuit only by their initials, were hit, kicked, pinched, poked, slapped and cursed at by Tyler Zanella, who was employed during the 2022-23 school year. Zanella pleaded guilty in January to seven counts of third-degree assault on an at-risk person, two counts of child abuse and two counts of harassment and was sentenced in April to 10 years in prison and two years in the Larimer County jail. The parents, whose names also were not disclosed in the complaint, said the school district’s administrators learned Zanella had a criminal history, including convictions for child abuse and driving under the influence, the day after he started employmen, the lawsuit said. Zanella hid his criminal background when applying for the job and hiring administrators learned of his past after his fingerprints were submitted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation during a background check. Still, they allowed Zanella to continue working on a bus where he assisted and supervised children with special needs. Poudre School District “had allowed Zanella to start working before receiving the results of his background check, showing that PSD willingly placed students at risk from individuals with a criminal history that PSD learned about only after hirees had contact with children,” the lawsuit stated. “Such indifference to the safety of students illustrates PSD’s custom and training or recklessness in its hiring practices.” The lawsuit also states that school officials, including teachers, ignored or dismissed complaints from parents who reported that their children had unexplained bruises or were scared to get on the bus. The district eventually reviewed video footage that showed Zanella slapping, punching and torturing students. Both students who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit are autistic and either non-verbal or partially verbal in their communication. Their parents reported the children had behavioral changes at home and struggled with basic skills such as showering, eating and cleaning after being assaulted by the paraprofessional, according to the lawsuit. Related Articles Courts | Greeley teacher arrested, accused of strangling 6-year-old student Courts | Colorado Springs mom accused of killing 2 of her children fights extradition in London Courts | U.S. Department of Justice investigating Littleton school bus assault Courts | San Francisco moves to lead fight against deepfake nudes Courts | Lone Tree day care center once again faces child abuse allegations The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Colorado, accuses the school district of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, which protects people from disability-based harassment and discrimination, violation of the 14th Amendment, which provides equal protection for all citizens, and negligence. The lawyers asked for an unspecified amount in damages. The Zanella case is one of at least three in Colorado involving allegations of abuse on school buses. In June, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into Littleton Public Schools and the Joshua School for possible civil rights violations after a district employee assaulted a boy with a disability during a bus ride home by elbowing him, hitting him and slamming his head against a window. In 2017, a Boulder Valley School District bus attendant received jail time for slapping, kicking and spraying Lysol in the face of a young man on a school bus. The district paid the family a $4 million settlement. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.