Former Principal Indicted on Felony Charges
The former principal of Fairmont Junior High School has been charged with felony injury to a child.
Christopher Ryan served as the principal at Fairmont Junior High School, while Scott Crandell worked as the social worker for the school. According to The Idaho Capital Sun, Scott Crandell, who was being investigated by Boise Police for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student(s), died by suicide shortly after his phone was confiscated by the police for evidence. [1]
Crandell was accused of regularly taking female students out of class and into his office with the door closed and blinds shut. These accusations have been mentioned in other public documents and are also mentioned in the new lawsuit, which states that this behavior was witnessed by teachers and staff and reported to Principal Ryan.
Christopher Ryan was charged with failure to report the incident to law enforcement earlier this year and was transferred from his position as principal to an administrative role at the Boise School District. The charges were dismissed by a motion of the prosecutor on May 8th.
On October 4, new charges were filed for felony injury to a child. The charges against him have been modified from failure to report to actual injury to a child. It is alleged that he was aware of Crandell’s inappropriate behavior with at least one student, but allowed him to continue being alone with the student.
Idaho Former Principal Pleaded Not Guilty
Christopher Ryan, a former principal of the Boise School District, entered a formal plea of not guilty on Wednesday to a felony charge of “injury to child”.
Chris Ryan has been on paid administrative leave since May.
Ryan was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month, accused of knowingly putting a child in a situation that could harm her health or safety.
According to state prosecutors, while in his role as principal, Ryan permitted a 13-to-14-year-old girl to be alone with an adult male, despite being aware of the adult male’s inappropriate and/or unlawful behavior towards the child. [2]
Ryan’s attorney, Jeffrey Brownson, entered a not-guilty plea for his client at the Ada County Courthouse on Wednesday and requested a speedy trial.
The trial is set to begin on February 20, 2024, and is expected to last three to four days. A no-contact order was issued as well.
The criminal charge has been filed in response to three ongoing lawsuits that have been filed against Chris Ryan, Fairmont Junior High School, and the Boise School District on behalf of two victims and their families.
The defendants are being accused of mishandling concerns of abuse related to the school’s social worker, Scott Crandell, who died by suicide in December after a police investigation began. The lawsuits allege that Crandell engaged in inappropriate communication with minor students and sexually abused multiple young girls at the school while working as a social worker.
Contact the dedicated Boise school injury lawyers at Goldberg & Loren for a free consultation regarding sexual abuse incidents at school.
Sources:
[1] Former Fairmont Junior High principal indicted for felony injury to a child. (2023, December 18). KBOI. https://idahonews.com/news/local/former-fairmont-junior-high-principal-indicted-for-felony-injury-to-a-child-amid-scandal#
[2] Reporter, K. L. E. (2023, October 18). Boise School District principal pleads not guilty to felony Injury to Child charge. Idaho News 6 Boise Twin Falls (KIVI). https://www.kivitv.com/news/boise-school-district-principal-pleads-not-guilty-to-felony-injury-to-child-charge
