BOISE, Idaho — A place where students should feel safe has become a source of anxiety for many parents at Valley View Elementary. Recent allegations against a staff member have raised serious concerns within the community.
"You know, you hear about it, but you're like, ‘No, no, not special needs,’ but apparently, it did happen," said Valley View mom Valerie Ramirez.
On January 10, police attempted to arrest Gavin Snow, a special education assistant at Valley View, on charges of producing sexually exploitative materials involving children.
"Having a special needs child is a 24-hour job," said Ramirez, whose nonverbal son received assistance from Snow. She expressed frustration over the lack of answers regarding how such an incident could occur again within the district.
"So I have to advocate for him, so it's very hard because he digressed a lot last year," she said, recounting her disbelief upon hearing the news.
"I cried a lot; I cried. It was heartbreaking. I love my son to death. I'm sure every parent is going through a lot, too," Ramirez added.
Dan Hollar, the Public Affairs Administrator for the Boise School District, emphasized that this incident should not be seen as a trend. "This is an isolated situation—a bad actor—someone who obviously violated the confidence of our family and staff, and we are affected by that," he said.
However, as we've previously reported, a similar situation unfolded at Fairmont Junior High School in 2022 involving a school social worker accused of sexual misconduct. That suspect also died by suicide as police began investigating.
The Boise School District is still facing multiple ongoing lawsuits filed by victims' families related to the Fairmont Jr. High allegations, accusing district staff of improperly handling concerns that abuse was going on.
Additionally, a former Fairmont Junior High teacher and basketball coach was sentenced in 2023 for sexually abusing a male teenage student.
On Thursday night, the Boise School District held a meeting for parents to voice their concerns. Hollar described the ongoing investigation as disturbing.
"We are community members first and foremost. Our goal each and every day is to educate children in a safe and secure learning environment. Each and every day, we have thousands of employees that do just that," Hollar stated.
As parents expressed their concerns, the district ensured that each question was addressed. The district confirmed it will conduct its own investigation in partnership with the Boise Police Department while exploring measures to prevent future incidents.
"We want to make sure that we are engaging our families in honest conversations, updating them about the situation, and moving forward from here to help heal wounds and come together," Hollar concluded.
