Art Teacher Arrested for Stalking Former Student

A Long Island art teacher, who was previously dismissed from his position over allegations of raping a student, has been arrested for allegedly stalking the same individual.

John Kennedy, 53, reportedly followed a former Bay Shore High School student, now 18, prompting her to contact the police after she noticed him while leaving her home in Bay Shore on Thursday morning. Suffolk County authorities confirmed the details.

A police spokesperson remarked, “Suffolk County Police today arrested a high school teacher for stalking a former student that he had sexual affairs with previously,” noting that he was apprehended at his home in St. James that evening.

Notably, Kennedy’s alleged stalking occurred just a week after the former student filed a lawsuit against the Bay Shore school district. In the lawsuit, she accuses school officials of failing to protect her from what she described as a “serial sexual predator,” claiming he repeatedly raped her in his classroom, according to court documents.

Once regarded as a favorite teacher by many students, Kennedy was first exposed by The Post for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student who was in his art class. This came after he had already been put on administrative leave due to the allegations.

The student was of legal age for consent in New York at the time of the alleged incidents, and an initial police investigation concluded without findings of criminal activity.

However, her attorney, Andrew Silvershein, contended that Kennedy’s status as a teacher created an inherently exploitative dynamic, making the relationship problematic irrespective of her age. The lawsuit further asserts that the school district had a duty to safeguard the student from Kennedy and did not heed several warning signs.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Bay Shore Superintendent Steven Maloney has stated that the district acted promptly upon learning of the allegations, quickly placing Kennedy on administrative leave, banning him from school property, and notifying Suffolk police.

This incident marks the latest in a series of troubling cases involving possible sexual misconduct by teachers within the Bay Shore district. In a separate case, the district faced a judgment to pay $25 million related to Thomas Bernagozzi, a retired third-grade teacher who was found to have abused students over decades, with a jury concluding that the district overlooked multiple indicators of his predatory behavior.

In another case, Marcus Johnson, a teacher’s assistant at the high school, was charged with raping a 15-year-old student in 2017.

The Post attempted to contact Kennedy but could not locate a valid phone number for him.