Former Philips Exeter Academy Math Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault
EXETER, N.H. (CBS) -- A former Philips Exeter Academy math teacher was arrested on sexual assault charges Monday. Police said Szczesny (Jerzy) Kaminski is accused of sexually assaulting a student of the boarding school multiple times between 2013 and 2015.
The student was a freshman and then a sophomore at the time.
Kaminski is charged with three counts of pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault and three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault. He is being held on preventative detention and a bail hearing is set for Tuesday morning. Conditions of his bail include having no contact with the victim or the victim's family and have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.
"We are deeply distressed to learn of the harm and suffering that the victim endured. We know that the impact of sexual abuse is especially traumatic when a student is harmed by an adult whom they had every reason to believe they could trust," said a letter from the school principal William Rawson.
A statement from the Academy said they were cooperating with the investigation. Kaminski was fired in April when police reopened its investigation based on new information.
Kaminski was originally investigated by police in 2016 after the school brought concerns to the department's attention. "EPD closed the case after consulting with the family and completing their investigation. The Academy placed Mr. Kaminski on written notice that certain actions would result in his termination," Rawson said.
"EPD requested that we refrain from publicly announcing Mr. Kaminski's termination while its investigation was underway, for fear that an announcement would hinder or impede their investigation," the letter continued. "I want to reassure you that the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. In the last three years we have developed and implemented extensive policies, procedures, and educational programming to support our community members in understanding, recognizing and preventing sexual misconduct,"
