Former Bay Shore High School student says she was groomed, sexually abused by art teacher
Bay Shore High School, where a former student alleges she was sexually abused by a teacher. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez
A former Bay Shore High School student alleges the district failed to protect her from an art teacher whom she accused of sexually abusing her — even after her mother complained to officials about inappropriate conduct, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
The student, who filed the lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Suffolk County anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the claims, alleges John Kennedy began grooming and sexually abusing her when she was 17, from June to October 2025.
The abuse, the suit alleges, occurred in Kennedy's classroom. The suit also alleges Kennedy openly dubbed the student his “favorite,” allowing her to sit at his desk to conduct work. He also allegedly publicly massaged the back of her neck, stroked her hair and sat so close to her during class that their “legs touched," according to the suit.
Attempts to reach Kennedy, who is not named as a defendant in the suit, by phone were not successful Monday.
Superintendent Steven Maloney said in a statement the district does not discuss pending litigation or personnel matters. He noted, however, that the district first learned of the allegations in October and acted quickly, notifying police and “placing the staff member on administrative leave and barring the individual from District property.” It cooperated with the police investigation and will continue to act "responsibly in all matters regarding the well-being of our school community," he added.
A district spokesperson said the community was notified in October.
A Suffolk County police investigation into the matter has been closed and it was determined to be noncriminal, according to a department spokesperson.
The spokesperson did not say why the case was closed. National child advocates and researchers said New York is among a few states nationwide where educators, despite being in positions of authority, may not always be charged with sexual misconduct if the student is over the age of consent. In New York, the age of consent is 17.
'Inappropriate conduct' alleged
The lawsuit describes several instances in which it claims the district ignored warning signs and failed to issue “meaningful corrective or protective action.”
It states the district received anonymous written complaints about Kennedy's “inappropriate conduct” with female students.
It also states the school should have known about the alleged misconduct, noting that school employees told the teacher and the student that she was a “fixture in the classroom since she’s always there." Several employees also saw her in the classroom alone with him after school hours. Kennedy would allegedly close the window blinds in his classroom, which faced administrative offices, the suit alleges. He also would spend time alone with the victim by dismissing other students under “false pretenses," the suit alleges.
When a student posted a video of Kennedy on TikTok that drew comments from others that he “had been flirting with female students in his class,” the district only requested the video be taken down, the suit alleges.
The suit also alleges the district was aware of, or should have been aware, that female students who were not Kennedy's pupils would hang out in his classroom before and after school, and during lunch. He was allegedly told to stop having students in his classroom who were not enrolled in his lessons.
Kennedy also liked and commented on social media posts by students, including the alleged victim, via his Instagram account, the suit states.
Around September 2025, the student’s mother raised concerns about Kennedy in a meeting with several high school officials, including Principal Stephen Gordon and guidance counselor Michelle Plette, according to the lawsuit and the victim’s Manhattan-based attorney, Andrew Silvershein. But officials allegedly continued to permit Kennedy to have contact with the student and “failed to adequately supervise or separate Kennedy from Plaintiff,” allowing the abuse to continue, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit claims the district "knew or should have known that Kennedy was unfit, dangerous, and a threat to the health, safety and welfare of the minors entrusted to his instruction, care, and/or protection.”
Newsday has reported that several Long Island districts have paid millions of dollars to settle dozens of lawsuits by former students who claim they were sexually abused in school.
The Bay Shore district has recently been in the spotlight after Thomas Bernagozzi, a popular teacher who for decades taught children in Bay Shore elementary schools, was convicted of sexually abusing three students decades earlier. He was accused of abusing dozens more whose cases fell outside the statute of limitations, Newsday reported at the time. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney previously called Bernagozzi, who retired in 2000, "one of the most prolific and reprehensible sexual predators in Suffolk County history."
The student in this case is seeking unspecified compensatory damages. Silvershein, her lawyer, said, “These civil lawsuits — they're really for justice. It’s the voice for these survivors to tell their story, and this unfortunately appears to be yet another example of the Bay Shore Union Free School district putting the protection of its teachers above the safety of its students, and it's something that we want to see change immediately to protect all of the students who are attending school."
Newsday's Dandan Zou contributed to this story.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
