A Jeffco Public Schools paraprofessional was fired and charged with assaulting a child with a developmental disability after she dragged the girl through an elementary school hallway, according to an arrest affidavit.
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Cynthia “Cindy” Monroe, 60, faces charges of felony third-degree assault and misdemeanor child abuse, Jefferson County court records show. The charges stem from an incident on April 16 where Monroe allegedly grabbed a Ute Meadows Elementary School student and dragged her by the arm.
School staffers told investigators that Monroe had become increasingly frustrated with the student in recent months, and surveillance video from the school showed that Monroe dragged the girl for about 10 feet before another paraprofessional intervened and helped the girl to her feet.
Another staff member who witnessed the incident said it looked like Monroe could have popped the girl’s arm out of her socket and added she had seen Monroe give the girl “little arm yanks here and there.”
Monroe appeared “agitated and annoyed” on the surveillance video and was shaking her head after the incident, investigators wrote in the affidavit.
The girl had a red mark and abrasion on her arm that appeared to be from a fingernail, and she told investigators getting dragged hurt and made her body sad.
Monroe later told sheriff’s officials that her lack of training around children with developmental disabilities was to blame for the incident, but she agreed that “any reasonable person would know you don’t drag a kid down the hall,” according to the complaint.
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Monroe was hired as a paraprofessional at Ute Meadows, which is in Ken Caryl, in 2009 and shifted to a special education paraprofessional position in 2014, a spokesperson for the school district said in an email to The Denver Post.
School district officials placed Monroe on administrative leave after learning of the investigation, and her employment later was terminated, the district spokesperson said.
As required by state law, all employees must undergo a fingerprint-based background check by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI before hire, according to the school district. Monroe’s background checks were clear when she was hired, the spokesperson said.
A warrant was issued for Monroe’s arrest in the incident on June 22, court records show. She appeared in court last month and posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bail.
Monroe is next scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Aug. 31, according to court records.
Anyone with information about Monroe or the incident can contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 303-980-7300.
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