BAY SHORE, NY — A former Bay Shore High School student has filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging she was groomed and sexually abused by an art teacher while she was 17 and that district officials failed to protect her despite prior warning signs and complaints about the teacher's behavior.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 14 in Suffolk County Supreme Court, names the Bay Shore Union Free School District as the defendant. The former student says art teacher John Kennedy groomed and sexually abused her from approximately June through October 2025. The former student is represented by attorney Andrew Silvershein.
According to the complaint, the abuse occurred in Kennedy's classroom at Bay Shore High School. The lawsuit says Kennedy used his position as an art teacher to gain the student's trust before sexually abusing her.
The district said it took immediate action when the matter was brought to officials' attention in October 2025.
"The District is aware of the allegations raised in this lawsuit, and will not discuss the specific claims in pending litigation or personnel matters," Bay Shore Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven Maloney said in a statement to Patch. "When the matter was first brought to our attention in October 2025, the District took immediate action, placing the staff member on administrative leave and barring the individual from District property. The Suffolk County Police Department was immediately notified and the District fully cooperated throughout their investigation. As this is a legal and personnel matter, we cannot provide further information at this time."
The lawsuit says district employees had received complaints and observed warning signs concerning Kennedy's interactions with female students before the abuse occurred.
According to the complaint, district employees received "several anonymous written complaints" regarding Kennedy's alleged inappropriate conduct with female students. The lawsuit says a district human resources representative confronted Kennedy about the complaints but that the district took no meaningful corrective or protective action.
The complaint also said district employees were aware of a TikTok video of Kennedy that drew comments from Bay Shore students saying he had been flirting with female students in his class. According to the lawsuit, the district directed the student who posted the video to remove it but did not prevent Kennedy from having unsupervised access to female students.
The lawsuit also states Kennedy openly referred to the former student as his "favorite," allowed her to sit at his desk to do schoolwork, touched her hair and massaged the back of her neck during class.
According to the complaint, female students who were not enrolled in Kennedy's classes would spend time in his classroom before school, during lunch and after school.
The lawsuit states several district employees observed the former student alone with Kennedy in his classroom or leaving the classroom with him after school on multiple occasions.
The lawsuit also claims Bay Shore High School Principal Stephen Gordon and guidance counselor Michelle Plett met with the former student and her mother regarding concerns that Kennedy was acting inappropriately toward the student.
The lawsuit claims that despite the meeting, Kennedy continued to have access to the student and that school employees continued to observe her spending time in his classroom afterward.
The lawsuit accuses the district of negligence, including failing to adequately supervise Kennedy, investigate reports of misconduct, enforce policies intended to protect students and comply with mandatory reporting requirements.
The student is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys' fees, interest and other relief. No specific dollar amount is listed in the complaint. She has also requested a jury trial.
"The Bay Shore School District will continue to act quickly and responsibly in all matters regarding the well-being of our school community," Maloney said.
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