An edition of the Littleton Independent
WEEK OF JUNE 27, 2024
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 30
$2
Parents of nonspeaking students push for changes Littleton school bus prompts local, statewide focus on solutions BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Mila Vestal, 8, recently asked the Littleton school board to make rules to protect her older brother, Dax. He is one of several nonspeaking, autistic students who regularly rode bus L76, where a paraprofessional allegedly harmed students for months. “Most brothers are protective of their little sisters, but I’m protective of him instead,” Mila said. “Please make better rules to keep my brother safe. I can’t protect him all the time because we go to different schools.” Dax, Mila’s mother, her father and her younger brother listened as she spoke to board members. After months of pushing for change, the family came to the school board meeting to express hope for progress toward safer school buses. Meanwhile, Jess
Arapahoe County plagued by dozens of storage unit thefts each year BY ISABEL GUZMAN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
incident reporting processes, paraprofessional staffing and training, communication with parents and use of third-party contractors for transportation.
Deborah Bauman has lost a little faith in humanity. “I feel like now I am so suspicious of people,” Bauman said. About three months ago, her e-bike, electric tools and family collectibles were stolen from her storage unit in Centennial. She had rented the doublesize space because she was moving. The thieves stole a football signed by former Denver Broncos Super Bowl stars John Elway and Terrell Davis and her son’s items from England that his grandparents gifted him. Arapahoe County and surrounding areas have been hit with hundreds of storage unit thefts in recent years. In January, a painting of George Washington from the early 1800s was stolen from a storage space
SEE SCHOOLS, P12
SEE THEFTS, P5
Front view of the Littleton Public School administration building.
Vestal, Mila and Dax’s mother, is serving alongside other parents on a special transportation task force, focused on brainstorming policy changes to better protect children. On the table so far are changes to bus video policy,
VOICES: 14 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19
PHOTO BY SCOTT GILBERT
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