Former Bay Shore teacher arrested for stalking former student amid abuse lawsuit

Suffolk County officers arrested former Bay Shore High School art teacher John Kennedy on stalking charges after a former student, now 18, reported he was following her from her home in Bay Shore to an unknown location in Selden. The arrest occurred shortly after the student filed a lawsuit alleging the district ignored warning signs and allowed Kennedy, described by peers as a “favorite” teacher, to repeatedly rape her in his classroom when she was 17.

While the girl was of legal consent age, her lawyer contends the teacher’s authority rendered the relationship inherently abusive. District Superintendent Steven Maloney says the school acted swiftly, removing Kennedy from campus and alerting police. This case adds to a series of high-profile misconduct scandals at Bay Shore, including a $25 million judgment related to former teacher Thomas Bernagozzi and charges against assistant Marcus Johnson. The Post could not locate a contact number for Kennedy.