Former Long Island Teacher Arrested for Stalking Student

A former art teacher from Long Island, accused of sexually exploiting a student when she was 17, has been arrested for allegedly stalking her again.

The now 18-year-old student has filed a lawsuit against the school district, claiming that John Kennedy, 53, groomed her and repeatedly assaulted her in his classroom in 2025.

According to reports, the former student contacted authorities after she spotted Kennedy near her Bay Shore home on Thursday morning.

“Today, Suffolk County Police arrested a high school teacher for stalking a former student with whom he had sexual encounters,” a police spokesperson confirmed.

Kennedy was taken into custody at his residence in St. James that same evening, the police stated.

As reported, Kennedy’s alleged stalking behavior arose just days after the unnamed accuser filed her lawsuit against the Bay Shore school district. The lawsuit accuses the administration of failing to protect her from what she describes as a “serial sexual predator” who violated her regularly, as detailed in court documents.

Once hailed as a favorite teacher by many students, Kennedy was first implicated by the media in October after it was revealed he had sexual relations with his senior art student. At that time, he was placed on administrative leave due to the accusations.

It’s worth noting that the police investigation had been closed previously because the girl was considered to be of legal age of consent under New York law during the time of the alleged abuse.

However, the attorney representing the student argues that the power dynamic between the teacher and student made the relationship inherently exploitative, thus rendering age of consent irrelevant.

The lawsuit also contends that the school district should have taken precautions to protect the student from being groomed and that they ignored clear warning signs. Legal experts suggest that proving this negligence is crucial for the school district to face liability and potential damages.

The Bay Shore Superintendent, Steven Maloney, reportedly stated that the district acted promptly upon learning of the allegations, placing Kennedy on administrative leave and contacting the authorities.

This case reflects a troubling trend of sexual misconduct involving educators, as reported in a previous investigation which highlighted that such incidents have been escalating in the U.S. for the past two decades.

In fact, this isn’t the first significant case involving Bay Shore teachers. In 2017, a teacher’s assistant faced charges for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student, and in 2024, the district was ordered to pay $25 million related to a former teacher accused of abusing students over many years.

Experts have pointed out that one contributing factor to the prevalence of teacher-related sex crimes is a “culture of permissiveness” among both administrators and fellow educators, who may hesitate to report inappropriate behavior to maintain a sense of community or harmony within the school.