Page 5 - aruba-today-20170826

A5
U.S. NEWS Saturday 26 auguSt 2017
Colorado bus aide sentenced for assaulting autistic student

By JAMES ANDERSON at something you want to
Associated Press kill,” Rai’s father, Vhim Rai,
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — told the judge. “We pray
Over six days, Shiva Rai was and ask that no other at-risk
kicked and hit, sprayed in person has to go through
the face with aerosol dis- what we went through.”
infectant, berated and Burke’s sentencing capped
told he was disgusting by a case that exposed the
an aide on a bus serving a vulnerabilities of those who
Colorado public school for are unable to report abuse
autistic students. — and thus acutely at risk.
On Friday, the aide, 52-year- The case drew the atten-
old Monica Burke, was sen- tion of the U.S. Department
tenced to 20 months in jail of Education’s Office of
and five years’ probation Civil Rights, which reached
after she pleaded guilty in a compliance agreement
July to assaulting an at-risk with the school district
person. She also was or- that includes proper hiring
dered to perform 360 hours and training of staff, ensur-
of community service. ing bus camera footage
The punishment came af- is preserved for at least six
ter Rai’s family received months, and other con-
a $3.85 million settlement ditions. About one in 68 Monica Burke is led out of the courtroom and taken into custody by officers after her sentencing in
from the St. Vrain Valley school-aged children have Boulder, Colo., on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. The former school bus aide was sentenced to 20 months
School District, which had autism or related disorders, of prison and 5 years of probation for physically and verbally abusing a disabled student while she
employed Burke, family at- the Centers for Disease worked as a bus assistant for the St. Vrain Valley School District.
torney Qusair Mohamedb- Control and Prevention (Cliff Grassmick/Daily Camera via AP, Pool)
hai said. reported in March. The ef-
District Judge Ingrid Bakke fects can range from mild
sentenced Burke after social interaction problems
hearing emotional state- to repetitive behaviors and
ments from Rai’s family the inability to speak.
and Burke, and the playing Shiva Ra — the 21-year-old
of excerpts of a school bus son of a Nepalese-Amer-
videotape showing Burke ican family in Longmont
kicking a defenseless Rai — cannot communicate
and spraying him with the verbally and is extremely
disinfectant. Courtroom sensitive to sound.
spectators gasped and The school district bused
one uttered “my God” as him daily to Firefly Au-
the excerpts were shown. tism, a nonprofit school in
“You spray something toxic Denver.q

Cops: Reject for gas station job

tries to run over the managers

with his car.
Police say the man ap-
proached the Concord
station on Thursday and
told managers the gas
pumps were damaged.
When they went to check
on the pumps, he tried to
run them over and struck a
barrier.
Police say 41-year-old Wil-
liam Soler then went to the
This booking photo shows police station lobby and
William Soler, who was said he was the person
arraigned Friday, Aug. 25, they were looking for.
2017, on charges that he Police say he told them he
tried to run over gas station
managers with his car was upset because man-
because he was upset at not agers didn’t hire him and
being hired for a job there. he tried to kill one of them.
(Concord PD via AP) Soler was arraigned Friday.
He faces attempted mur-
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Po- der, reckless conduct and
lice in New Hampshire say attempted first-degree as-
a man upset over not be- sault charges.
ing hired at a gas station It wasn’t immediately
tried to run over managers known if he had a lawyer.q