LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — As part of a settlement, the Poudre School District will pay more than $16 million to 10 families after a former paraprofessional for the school district pleaded guilty to child abuse and assault.
The lawsuit, which was filed in October, was brought forward by the parents of 10 children who were abused at the hands of former employee Tyler Zanella, who worked as a bus attendant to help elementary school children with autism, including many who were non-verbal, the law firm Killmer Lane, LLP said. The parents said the district never should have hired Zanella in the first place, as he had failed to include a prior criminal conviction for child abuse on his application for the position.
Zanella was hired in August 2022. In a video released by the law firm, Zanella is seen repeatedly slapping, pinching and hitting children on the bus between March and May 2023. District officials, after noticing physical signs of the abuse, watched the surveillance bus videos and witnessed Zanella's actions. They reported it to police.
Zanella was arrested in May 2023, fired and charged with 164 counts.
The school district told Denver7 in 2024 that since his arrest, it has "implemented additional measures to ensure our district is a safe haven for learning and growth... The district's human resources protocol prohibits the hiring of individuals with any conviction related to child abuse or neglect."
In January 2024, Zanella accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to seven counts of third-degree assault (against an at-risk person), two counts of harassment and two counts of child abuse. In April 2024, he was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge ruled that he would spend 10.5 years in the Department of Corrections after serving two years in the Larimer County Jail.
The parents filed the lawsuit in the fall of 2024.
It alleges that the district knew about Zanella's criminal history and "hired him for a role that involved him having access to and authority over multiple exceptionally vulnerable young children." Zanella had previously been arrested on a charge of child abuse in 2012, and that case was dismissed after he pleaded guilty to child abuse (negligence - no injury), which is a misdemeanor. The lawsuit also claims the defendants failed to intervene after learning of assault and bullying incidents.
You can read the full lawsuit below.
"The most shocking aspect of this case is that school district officials almost immediately knew that on his application for the school bus job, Zanella lied by failing to report that he had a prior criminal conviction for child abuse, yet they put him on the bus despite this knowledge, where he continued to torment and torture the most helpless children in Colorado," the law firm said in a press release on Wednesday.
The settlement amount of $16,200,000 will be funded by the school district and its insurance carrier, the Colorado School Districts Self Insurance Pool. The latter will contribute $10 million, with the district covering the remainder.
The school district issued a statement during Tuesday's board meeting, which acknowledged the settlement and criminal actions of Zanella.
"This resolution represents our collective commitment to addressing the harm caused and to supporting the ongoing recovery and well-being of these students and their families," the statement reads. "... Since 2023, when the District became aware of the actions of the former employee, PSD has invested almost 2 million dollars and hundreds of hours of staff time to improve our processes, protocols, and training. These include implementing robust safety measures enhancing employee training programs and revising policies and protocols to provide additional layers of accountability and oversight."
Per its statement, some of the key changes within the school district have included:
- Revised hiring practices that exceed industry and state standards.
- Installation of advanced bus camera systems across the entire fleet.
- Hiring a dedicated Transportation Manager for students with disabilities to oversee and support bus operations.
- Improved comprehensive staff training on trauma-informed care, behavior management, and mandatory reporting.
and - Improved communication and collaboration between transportation, schools, and families.
"While these incidents are a painful chapter in our history, they are also a catalyst for important and necessary improvements," the statement concludes. "We are mindful that our next chapter must include increased efforts centered on healing, repairing the harm done, and rebuilding trust. PSD remains steadfast in our dedication to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students."
In the wake of cases involving school employees assaulting children with special needs, Denver7 Investigates looked into Colorado's current policies and what parents and advocates want to change in May 2024. Watch that report below.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.