Long Island’s ‘Favorite’ Teacher, 48, Under Investigation for Sexting with Underage Student: Sources

A popular teacher at a high school on Long Island is investigated Sending sexually charged text messages to an underage student, The sources told the newspaper.

John Kennedy, an art teacher at Bay Shore High School, was pulled from the classroom and placed on administrative leave Wednesday after the district learned of alleged text messages he exchanged with a female student — which sources claimed contained sexually explicit language — prompting an investigation by Suffolk County police.

District and police sources confirmed the allegations, telling the newspaper that Kennedy, 48, was the teacher who had been placed on leave, while the Suffolk Police Department would only comment that there was an active investigation into a Bay Shore teacher.

“The Bay Shore School District has been made aware of the allegations involving a high school employee,” Superintendent Stephen Maloney said in a statement Wednesday. “When the District learned of this, it took immediate action, placing the employee on administrative leave and banning the individual from District property.

“the Suffolk County Police Department “They were notified immediately and we continue to cooperate fully with their ongoing investigation.”

The school district and Suffolk Police did not He was officially named Kennedy and remained silent on the issue.

The student, believed to be a high school senior, had been in a relationship with Kennedy since at least the summer, according to a source.

Another source described the alleged text messages as “disgusting.”

Although the full nature of the communications and the student’s identity remains a mystery, teachers and students alike were shocked to learn of the accusations against someone many described as their “favorite teacher.”

“It’s sad. Everyone loved him, especially the kids. He was loved,” one district teacher said, confirming that Kennedy was the teacher who was placed on leave.

One student, who was in Kennedy’s art class this year, said he was still trying to process betrayal from someone he trusted.

“He was a great teacher – but things happened and now I look at him very differently,” said the Year 11 student, who asked to remain anonymous.

This scandal marks the second high-profile incident involving possible sexual misconduct by Bay Shore teachers.

In November 2024, the district was ordered to pay $25 million in damages related to a decades-old abuse case involving a retired third-grade teacher. Thomas Bernagozziwho was accused of sexually assaulting students for more than three decades while working at multiple elementary schools.

A Suffolk County jury found the district ignored repeated warning signs about Bernagozzi, now 76, whose alleged abuse in the 1970s extended into the early 2000s — and more than 50 former students have come forward since then.

The charges against Kennedy come just two weeks after another Long Island teacher at an elementary school in the Shoreham-Wading River area, mark Ferretti, He was arrested in a sting where He confessed to the camera For sexting with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl.