Poudre School District will pay $16.2M in settlements to victims of Tyler Zanella

Poudre School District’s Board of Education agreed May 13 to pay $16.2 million to settle multiple lawsuits filed against the district on behalf of students who were assaulted, abused and harassed by former paraprofessional school bus attendant Tyler Zanella.

The school district’s insurance policy will cover $10 million of the settlement payment, with the school board providing an additional $6.2 million from its contingency fund, according to a resolution approved by a 7-0 vote of the board during a regularly scheduled meeting.

Zanella was facing 164 charges, including 34 felonies, for assault, child abuse and harassment against the students – all autistic and mostly nonverbal, according to court testimony – when he accepted a plea deal to avoid trial that was approved Jan. 29, 2024, by 8th Judicial District Judge Daniel McDonald. That agreement required Zanella to plead guilty to the most serious charge involving each of the identified victims, including seven counts of assault knowingly or recklessly causing injury to an at-risk individual, a Class 3 felony.

Fort Collins police and the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s office identified 11 victims in their investigation and initial filing of charges, though the settlement lists 10 victims.

Zanella, now 38, was sentenced April 12, 2024, by McDonald to 12 ½ years in prison.

Multiple lawsuits were brought against the district and district staff by families of the victims.

The lawsuits claim that staff failed to properly investigate multiple complaints from parents and one staff member about Zanella, that staff failed to properly respond to parent complaints about Zanella’s actions, that staff failed to report suspected abuse to law enforcement as required by Colorado law, and more.

The U.S. District Court for Colorado in Denver consolidated three separate lawsuits into a single case Oct. 28, 2024. The settlement frees both the district and the current and former staff members included in the lawsuits from further legal culpability.

Court records listed parents and guardians of the victims by name and one, Sabrina Herrick, has identified herself multiple times in public comments to the Board of Education and more recently, as a candidate for a seat on the school board in the November 2025 election.

“The last two years have felt like a decade,” Herrick told the Coloradoan after the settlement was approved. “I’m extremely happy that PSD leadership came to the table to not only help our children heal and thrive, but also try to stop this from happening again. That’s all I’ve wanted this whole time, healing and change for the better.”

The Coloradoan does not name children who are victims of crime and is not naming the other parents or guardians for the privacy of the children.

Settlement payments must be distributed to the “Minor Children,” the agreement stipulates, with “no money being distributed to the parents other than in their capacities as parents and next friends to their Minor Children.” Payments are being made to eight families, ranging from $750,000 to more than $4.6 million for one family with three child victims.

The $16.2 million settlement was reached through “confidential mediation” by lawyers representing victims and their families and the school district to avoid “the uncertainties of litigation and for the purpose of compromise,” the resolution reads. It is a full and final release of all claims made by the victims and their families involving the employment of Zanella and his activities while working for the school district on buses transporting students with special needs to Shepardson and Bacon elementary schools.

“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,” Board of Education President Kristen Draper said in a prepared statement that was read aloud following the vote to approve the settlement.

That statement, which Draper said she was reading on behalf of the entire Board of Education, went on to point out additional commitments the district has made since Zanella’s arrest May, 24 2023.

PSD, Draper said, invested nearly $2 million 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.”

Draper went on to highlight what she said were key changes:

• 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.

• Improved communication and collaboration between transportation, schools, and families.

Draper’s statement went on to refer to Zanella’s actions as “a painful chapter” in the school district’s history that also served as “a catalyst for important and necessary improvements.”

“We are mindful that our next chapter must include increased efforts centered on healing, repairing the harm done, and rebuilding trust,” Draper said. “PSD remains steadfast in our dedication to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students.”

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell, threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: PSD will pay $16.2M to settle lawsuits by victims of Tyler Zanella