'We Are Sickened, Angry': Toms River Superintendent Speaks On Teacher's Alleged Sex Photos

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Allegations of inappropriate conduct by an eighth-grade history teacher in the Toms River Regional School District have left the district reeling with disgust, the Toms River Regional superintendent said Wednesday.

Kyle W. Banner, 48, of Brick, has been charged with three counts of child endangerment and a count of official misconduct in connection with what authorities said were pornographic photos he posted of himself on his public Twitter account — photos authorities say were taken in his classroom and were seen by students. Banner, who turned himself in at Toms River Police Headquarters Tuesday, is being held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River pending a detention hearing.

Banner, an eighth-grade history teacher at Toms River Intermediate North who was hired in 2000, has been suspended without pay since April 24, the day after school administrators were contacted about potentially inappropriate behavior, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Tuesday evening.

“To say that we are sickened, angry, upset, and disappointed would be a huge understatement,” Superintendent Michael Citta said Wednesday. “The moment these allegations were brought to our attention on April 24th, we immediately responded with a suspension, and reported the allegations to the proper authorities.”

“School is a place where we send our loved ones to be safe and to prepare for a future of endless possibilities. It’s therefore unconscionable that someone in our profession would put the welfare of our children at risk,” Citta said. “The district will do everything in its power to ensure that our schools are never put in this situation again, and has likewise established supports for anyone affected by this intolerable behavior.”

Banner also was a history professor at Ocean County College but has been removed from the classroom there, according to a statement from Jan Kirsten, executive director of college relations at Ocean County College.

“Ocean County College was made aware that Mr. Banner was under investigation in April,” Kirsten said. “Mr. Banner was immediately removed from the classroom. The College has and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement regarding this situation.”

Banner had at least 10 profiles on various social media applications, under his real name and under pseudonyms, and interacted with students regularly on TikTok, Patch has learned.

Among the accounts he maintained was the Twitter account where authorities allege he posted pornographic photos of himself; Billhimer said detectives recovered “numerous images” of Banner masturbating in his classroom at Intermediate North.

That Twitter account has since been deleted.

It was one of several on a LinkTree list maintained by Banner that was shared with Patch; the list also included links to accounts on Instagram, Snapchat, OnlyFans and an account on a dating site. The Twitter and OnlyFans accounts were labeled “spicy,” meaning they had sexual content. The dating site link account is under the name “History Professor” and lists his hometown as Mantoloking.

Banner also maintained a number of social media accounts under his real name, including ones on Spotify, where he posted a history podcast; YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, among others.

The background of one of the photos in the LinkTree matches a room in his home seen in his TikTok account.

On TikTok, he posted about his dog and cooking videos, mixed with classwork reminders for his students, and history trivia related to class discussions, Patch found. In multiple videos, he posed questions and promised to bring food that he cooked to students who sent him direct messages with the correct answer. His students had posted comments on a number of the videos, before Banner shut off comments.

The Toms River Regional Schools have a written policy on staff use of social media that sets parameters for how teachers can interact with students.

That policy, which bars "Communications of a sexual nature, sexually oriented humor or language, sexual advances, or content with a sexual overtone," also bars teachers from " Communications requesting or trying to establish a personal relationship with a student beyond the teaching staff member’s professional responsibilities." (Read the full policy on the Toms River School District website.)

The prosecutor’s office said Banner sent inappropriate photographs of himself to a student via Snapchat in October 2022.

“I would encourage parents to have a conversation with their children if they had this defendant as a teacher," Billhimer said.

Anyone with additional information regarding the investigation should contact Detective Graham Borg of the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150, or Detective Stephanie Bayha of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, ext. 3861.