Add The New York Post on Google A teen former Long Island student who claims she was raped in a classroom by a popular art teacher is suing the school district for allegedly failing to protect her from the twisted “serial sex predator.”
The ex-student was groomed by now-fired Bay Shore High School instructor John Kennedy, 53, starting last year when she was 17 years old — leading up to sick acts in which he forced her masturbate him and perform oral sex, penetrated her with his fingers and performed oral sex on her in his classroom, court documents claim.
“Kennedy was at all relevant times a serial sexual predator who sexually assaulted and abused Plaintiff and other students throughout his employment,” alleges the scathing complaint, which does not name the accuser.
The instructor — who many students once described as their “favorite teacher” — used his position of power to gain her trust before abusing her between June and October 2025, according to the Suffolk County Supreme Court filing.
The Bay Shore Union Free School District meanwhile repeatedly looked the other way as Kennedy’s grooming played out in plain sight — kissing the teen repeatedly, exposing himself and groping her both over and under her clothes, openly professing in front of other students that she was his “favorite” during class, letting her work at his desk as he massaged her neck and playing with her hair while sitting close enough that their legs would be touching, according to the complaint.
Though the student was of the legal age of consent in New York at the time of the alleged abuse, and the Suffolk County Police Department’s investigation was closed after finding no evidence of criminal conduct, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Andrew Silvershein, argues in the suit that as a teacher, Kennedy occupied a position of power that made the relationship inherently exploitative, regardless of the age of consent.
Silvershein claims the district did not even take action to stop the instructor — despite reports by the student’s parents and others — till October, when Kennedy was placed on administrative leave after the district was made aware of sexually charged text messages he exchanged with the student, as The Post previously exclusively reported.
Just one month earlier, the student’s mother raised concerns about Kennedy directly to school officials — including Principal Stephen Gordon and guidance counselor Michelle Plett — but they kept letting him have contact with the teen, “failing to adequately supervise or separate” the two and allowing the abuse to continue, the lawsuit alleges.
Silverstein said the school district had an obligation to protect the teen plaintiff from being sexually groomed by a teacher and failed — including even after a student posted a video of Kennedy on TikTok and comments from students piled on that he would flirt with girls in his class, leading to the district to demand the student delete the video but taking no action regarding the allegations in the content.
“At the end of the day, this guy was a teacher in a position of power over a student, and he used his position of power to groom her and abuse her,” Silvershein told The Post.
“[As a teacher,] he is there in place of a parent, and that means there is a higher duty and responsibility there.”
Silvershein alleged that Bay Shore has covered for sexual predators before, namely ex-teacher and serial child molester Thomas Bernagozzi.
Bay Shore Superintendent Steven Maloney has maintained that the district acted swiftly once it learned of the allegations and immediately placed Kennedy on administrative leave, barred him from district property and alerted the Suffolk County police.
“The District is aware of the allegations raised in this lawsuit, and will not discuss the specific claims in pending litigation or personnel matters,” Maloney said in a statement to The Post.
“When the matter was first brought to our attention in October 2025, the District took immediate action. … The Suffolk County Police Department was immediately notified and the District fully cooperated throughout their investigation.
“The Bay Shore School District will continue to act quickly and responsibly in all matters regarding the well-being of our school community,” the superintendent said.
The Post was unable to find a working phone number for Kennedy.
