A former paraprofessional at Ute Meadows Elementary School in Littleton has been criminally charged after school staff says she grabbed a developmentally disabled student and dragged her across the classroom floor by the forearms for more than 10 feet in April. Cynthia Ann Monroe, 60, was terminated following the incident and was formally charged on June 22 with felony third-degree assault of an at-risk person and misdemeanor child abuse.
According to the Denver Gazette, Monroe had worked at Ute Meadows Elementary since 2014 before she was let go over the alleged assault. The student she is accused of dragging was supported by an individualized education program, and the incident left her with minor injuries, including red marks and an abrasion on her forearm, the paper reports. Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the school on April 16, 2026, after staff reported witnessing Monroe drag the student across the floor before another employee physically intervened, according to 9News.
That same staff member called police, and the incident was captured on surveillance footage, per the Denver Gazette's reporting. When contacted by police, Monroe admitted to dragging the student, the paper notes. A warrant for her arrest was issued on June 22, and she surrendered on that warrant in July before posting a $5,000 bond, according to a news release from the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Felony Charge Tied to Colorado's At-Risk Person Law
Prosecutors filed Count 1 as assault in the third degree against an at-risk person, a Class 6 felony, and Count 2 as child abuse, a Class 1 misdemeanor, per the district attorney's office. The felony designation stems from Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-6.5-103(3)(c), which elevates third-degree assault from a misdemeanor to a felony when the victim is legally classified as an at-risk person — a category that includes juveniles with intellectual or physical disabilities. A Class 1 misdemeanor child abuse conviction in Colorado carries a presumptive penalty of up to 364 days in county jail, fines of up to $1,000, or supervised probation.
Monroe's arraignment is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on August 31 in Golden. Ute Meadows Elementary, which the Colorado Department of Education lists as serving roughly 344 to 374 students in grades Pre-K through 5th, hosts Jeffco Public Schools' Significant Support Needs center, a specialized program for students with severe cognitive, physical, or developmental needs.
Part of a String of Jeffco Staff Arrests
Monroe's case adds to what the Denver Gazette describes as a string of arrests involving Jeffco Public Schools teachers and employees. In June, former Jeffco security guard Brian C. Richie was arrested on 28 child sexual abuse charges following a Longmont Police Department investigation, as per Hoodline, and in March, Lakewood Police arrested 64-year-old Jeffco bus driver Robert Charles Watters on suspicion of felony sexual assault involving a 10-year-old student on his route.
In January, a Jefferson County jury convicted former Jeffco campus security officer Rubel “Tim” Martinez of felony sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust involving a high school student. And in neighboring Littleton Public Schools, district officials agreed in May to a $3.85 million settlement resolving allegations of physical abuse against special-needs students on school transportation — a case Hoodline previously reported the district settled quietly.
Monroe's criminal charges remain allegations at this stage, and no plea has been entered ahead of her scheduled arraignment. The case will proceed in Jefferson County District Court, where prosecutors with the First Judicial District Attorney's Office will need to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
