A Long Island high school art teacher was arrested after an 18-year-old former student accused him of repeatedly following her, police said.
John Kennedy, 53, is an art teacher at Bay Shore High School and resides in St. James, according to authorities.
Suffolk County Police took Kennedy into custody at his St. James home on Sept. 3, authorities said.
The defendant was charged with one count of fourth-degree stalking, according to police.
The alleged contact between the educator and the teenager did not start after her graduation, police said.
Kennedy allegedly had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the student in 2025, according to Suffolk County Police.
The student was a 17-year-old senior at Bay Shore High School at the time of the alleged relationship, police said.
Over a period of several weeks, Kennedy repeatedly drove past the young woman’s home, authorities said.
The defendant also followed her to her current place of education, according to police.
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The 18-year-old former student eventually reported the alleged behavior to authorities, police said.
Kennedy pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor stalking charge, court records show.
His defense attorney disputed the criminal allegations against the art teacher, court filings show. The attorney argued that Kennedy was in a public place and that some of the contact may have been invited, according to records.
Kennedy had already been placed on administrative leave following an earlier report, school officials said.
The Bay Shore school district barred the teacher from all district property beginning in October 2025, according to officials.
In August, an anonymous former student filed a civil lawsuit against the school district, court records show.
The lawsuit accused the district of failing to protect the former student from Kennedy, according to court filings. It alleged that the teacher groomed and sexually abused her inside his classroom in 2025, the complaint states.
It has not been publicly established that the student in that lawsuit is the same woman involved in the stalking case, records show.
Kennedy was released without bail following his court appearance, records show. He was ordered to stay away from the former student under a temporary order of protection, according to court documents.
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