Legislative committee wants subpoena power in Valva case

Suffolk County legislators announced Tuesday they are forming a special committee to investigate the death of Thomas Valva, an 8-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who died after authorities say he was forced to sleep in a freezing Center Moriches garage.

The committee — made up of Presiding Officer Robert Calarco (D-Patchogue), Deputy Presiding Officer Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) and Minority Leader Tom Cilmi (R-Bay Shore) — will seek subpoena power to investigate the circumstances that led to Thomas’ death, officials said. 

The group will review the interactions between Thomas' family and county police, family court officials and Child Protective Services workers, officials said. Members will also examine any limitations in investigating child abuse allegations and make recommendations aimed at avoiding another tragedy, officials said.

“There are still questions that must be answered,” Calarco said, noting that officials must know what exactly happened in the case to “address the potential shortfalls of the system.”

The legislative committee, which plans to hire an expert in CPS and family court issues to assist in its investigation, is the latest group formed by county officials after Thomas’ death.

Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini announced Monday he planned to impanel a special grand jury to investigate the case. County Executive Steve Bellone launched an internal review of the case, and Hahn led a special task force, which included Cilmi, to make recommendations on handling CPS cases involving children with autism. Those groups have not yet disclosed their findings, although they have proposed several pieces of legislation to address what Bellone called “major failings” of the CPS system.

Hahn acknowledged that Thomas’ death “eroded the public’s faith in the agencies that are intended to protect the vulnerable.”

“Our committee’s effort won’t undo the suffering Thomas knew during his brief life, but it will allow us to understand the processes that directed this case and will hopefully restore the public’s confidence in institutions dedicated to protecting our children,” she said in a statement.

Thomas died of hypothermia on Jan. 17 after authorities say his father, Michael Valva, and Valva's fiancee, Angela Pollina, forced the boy and his older brother, Anthony, 10, to spend a night in their unheated garage as temperatures outside dropped to 19 degrees. Valva and Pollina have pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with Thomas’ death.

The Valva case was the central focus of a separate legislative panel meeting Tuesday. The seniors and human services committee voted on several bills aimed at reforming CPS, which had investigated complaints against Thomas’ family and had monitored them for a year before his death.

The committee approved two proposals made by Cilmi, a bill requiring all CPS vacancies be filled and a second calling for a study to weigh video recording all CPS interviews.

The panel also approved designating March as “Professional Social Workers Month” and April as “Child Abuse Awareness Month.”

The committee tabled three proposals from Bellone’s “CPS Transformation Act.” Two of the bills would create a specialized CPS unit for cases involving children with autism or other disabilities and increase training for all CPS caseworkers.

Committee chairwoman Sarah S. Anker (D-Mount Sinai) said officials need to revise the third bill, which would post CPS staffing and caseload statistics online, to ensure children’s demographic information remains confidential.

Bellone's other proposals, including a bill that would set average CPS caseloads at state-recommended levels, are expected to come before the legislature at a later date.

The full legislature is expected to vote March 17 on the measures approved by the seniors and human services committee Tuesday.

By Rachelle Blidner

rachelle.blidner@newsday.com@rachelleblidner

Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.