Boise School District to pay $7 million to families in sex-abuse cases
The Boise School District announced Tuesday that it would pay millions of dollars total to seven families who took legal action over the alleged sexual abuse of their children who were enrolled in special-education programs.
The Boise Police Department investigated Gavin Snow, a 22-year-old special-ed paraprofessional at Valley View Elementary School, and found that he “was involved in multiple instances of inappropriate behavior with more than one student in the bathroom and sensory room at Valley View,” the school district previously said.
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, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
Snow took his own life in January when police were trying to arrest him.
Seven families filed tort claims against the district for damages stemming from the Snow cases. A tort claim is a “legal filing in response to one party breaching the duty of care owed to another person” or “intentionally wronging another person,” according to personal injury attorney Michael Waks. The majority of tort claims are settled out of court, but some can become lawsuits.
One tort claim obtained by the Idaho Statesman alleged that the district failed to protect children adequately.
The school district said it reached settlement agreements with the families and would pay a total of $7 million. Families had initially sought a combined $152.5 million, according to the release and previous Statesman stories.
The school district a settlement for one family of nearly $2.8 million has been approved by the court, and it is waiting on final court OK on the others. The district did not respond to the Idaho Statesman’s questions about how much each family would receive, or the reason some would get more than others.
“Our commitment to improving student safety is ongoing and unwavering,” the district said in a statement. “We recognize that restoring trust requires sustained action, and we remain dedicated to ensuring every student feels safe, supported, and valued in our schools.”
The district also explained how it plans to fund the settlement agreements. Its insurance carrier will cover $2 million, and the remaining $5 million will come from the district’s non-classroom expenses, including the facility maintenance fund.
The district said its “contribution toward the settlements will not reduce current classroom instruction or student programming.”
Suspect died before police arrest
The Boise Police Department said in January that the school district contacted authorities over allegations that Snow was producing child pornography, according to previous Statesman reporting.
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. On Jan. 10, police went to arrest Snow at his home, but he fled and died by suicide.
The district issued an apology in April and outlined detailed plans to implement new procedures to prevent similar abuse cases from happening again.
In mid-April a Valley View student’s parents filed a $50 million tort claim against the district, alleging “negligent, reckless, willful, deliberate, intentional, deliberately indifferent, wanton, and grossly negligent conduct committed by agents and employees of Valley View Elementary School and the Boise School District.”
Several tort claims followed over the next few months.
