Kyle Snyder

Indiana Mennonite high school employee fired and then convicted of sex crime with a student

In 2024, Kyle D. Snyder (b. 1997) pleaded guilty to one charge of child seduction for engaging in a sexual relationship with a student while he was employed as an assistant theater director at Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen, Indiana. Bethany is affiliated with the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference and the Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) of Mennonite Church USA (MC USA).

In April 2024, the Goshen (Ind.) Police Department began investigating a report of inappropriate contact between Snyder and a 17-year-old female student. According to ABC 57, “Police interviewed the Head of Bethany Christian Schools, where it was discovered that Snyder was fired for inappropriate comments he made to other students during a math tutoring session, outside of the school. Authorities were told Snyder had asked the students when they had first masturbated. The ages of these students were between 15 and 18.”

Snyder, a 2016 graduate of Bethany, worked at the school as an assistant theater director. In February 2024, the school terminated Snyder’s contract after learning of inappropriate comments he made to students during a tutoring session outside of school. According to Anabaptist World, Bethany head of school Tim Lehman described Snyder as an “independent contractor” and stated that the inappropriate conduct did not occur on school premises. The school reported the incident to the Indiana Department of Child Services, but “Lehman did not answer whether Bethany has policies for communicating with students and parents when it learns about a worker’s inappropriate behavior.”

Snyder was arrested in May 2024 and charged with five counts of child seduction. According to the probable cause affidavit, the student’s parents discovered the relationship through text messages on her phone. The student stated the relationship had become physical in fall 2023, when she was 16, and continued until April 2024. Sexual encounters reportedly occurred at Snyder’s home, where he lived with his parents, often while they were in another room. A forensic review of the student’s phone revealed over 34,000 text messages exchanged with Snyder since April 2023, many of which were described as sexually explicit.

MC USA’s Safe Church policy development guide recommends transparency and proactive communication when abuse allegations arise, stating, “The safety of persons will override the offender’s right for confidentiality.” MEA executive director Michael Danner told Anabaptist World, “In general, it is best to be transparent when a person who has contact with students is found to have engaged in inappropriate behavior with minors, including a clear way for persons to report any inappropriate encounters with said person. This creates a safe environment for disclosure and more potential for healing.”

In September 2024, Snyder signed a plea agreement and was sentenced to six years in prison, with four years suspended and to be served on probation. The court accepted his plea of guilty but mentally ill, and four of the five felony charges were dismissed as part of the deal. Snyder served approximately one year in state prison and was released on Oct. 31, 2025. He is required to register as a sex offender for ten years.