Boise School District says special-ed students victimized in child porn scandal
Valley View Elementary was rocked by news in January that a school employee died by suicide while police prepared to arrest him on charges of producing child pornography.
Until this week, the Boise School District provided the community with little information about what happened and how the school was addressing the incident.
“Our entire district administration and our Board of Trustees apologize for the trauma the victims and families have suffered, as well as the confusion and anxiety felt by our entire community through this experience,” Boise Superintendent Lisa Roberts said in a letter sent to parents and staff on Tuesday.
Valley View invited parents to the school on Tuesday evening to hear about the findings of an investigation conducted by Holinka Law, P.C., an independent, outside counsel that the district hired, and to discuss new staff procedures intended to better protect children in the future.
School officials barred the media from attending the event, but the district sent a summary of the investigation and new procedures to outlets on Wednesday afternoon.
Special education assistant died during arrest
Gavin Snow, a 22-year-old special-education paraprofessional at Valley View Elementary School, killed himself on Jan. 10 when Boise police officers attempted to arrest him at his home, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
Police began investigating Snow after the Boise School District contacted them over allegations that he was producing child porn, according to a Boise Police Department news release. Police said they obtained a search warrant for his electronic devices, where officers found evidence of child exploitation and the production of child sexual abuse materials.
The incidents with students took place in Valley View’s Structured Learning Center, a place for K-12 students with autism who require a high degree of structure at school, according to the district.
Boise police found that Snow “was involved in multiple instances of inappropriate behavior with more than one student in the bathroom and sensory room at Valley View,” and no other employees were involved, the school district said.
“We deeply regret what happened to the children at Valley View Elementary and the damage done to the trust you place in us every day. We hope that our actions since our discovery of the violations, as well as our long-term commitment to improving student safety, transparency and openness, are evidence of how seriously we take this situation and that we will be accountable for rebuilding our relationship with you and our community.”
The district removed Snow from the workplace and contacted police on Jan. 7, the same day an employee reported concerning behavior, district spokesperson Dan Hollar told the Statesman. Hollar said Snow was officially placed on administrative leave on Jan. 8.
Much of the changes the school is implementing involve ensuring that special-education staff do not bring cellphones into bathrooms and are not left alone with students in the sensory room or during bathroom procedures. The school is also ramping up training on identifying and reporting child abuse.
Boise school policies updated to protect children from abuse
In its summary of actions it has taken following the Snow investigation, the district said it:
Implemented a new policy prohibiting cellphones while toileting or diapering students.
Required that doors in the Valley View Sensory Room be left open.
Created a new policy to ensure students are not left alone with a single staff member without oversight, including “a two-person assist or line of sight/hearing and use of Dutch doors as standard procedures to reduce the risk of abuse in the future.”
Installed split Dutch doors in Valley View’s Structured Learning Center bathroom in February and removed objects obstructing staff’s line of sight to the bathroom.
Is reviewing staff numbers in the Structured Learning Center to ensure two staff members can be present when providing toileting or diapering assistance.
Is working to implement a policy titled “Guidance and Procedures for Toileting and Bathroom Support,” which includes “best practices related to toilet training, such as parent communication, disability screening, mandated reporting, staffing, level of assistance, location and environment, infection control, cell phone guidelines, and toilet training procedures.”
Ordered additional staff radios.
Reviewed and added to its sexual misconduct training and mandatory reporting requirements.
Updated its staff training to include examples of possible indicators of child abuse in students with disabilities.
Scheduled an April training on recognizing child abuse led by the Boise Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
Is working with police to provide training for parents on identifying signs of child sexual abuse.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 7:47 PM.
