Phillips Exeter student abused by ex-teacher receives 12 years of probation

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A former math teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy who taught at the prestigious prep school for nearly three decades was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a student from 2014-2016.

Szczesny Joerzy Kaminski, aged 62, must also complete a program for sexual offender, register as an sex ofender upon release, be banned from any contact whatsoever with former student or her families. In Rockingham County Superior Court he pleaded guilty three felonies to one misdemeanor.

In 2013, the student was thirteen years old when she joined the New Hampshire school. Kaminski was her sophomore and freshman math teachers. He also tutored her. Kaminski allegedly began to sexually abuse her in 2014.

Kaminski was a former student who is now 23 years old. She described him as a caring and enthusiastic teacher, and she became close to him after she began struggling at school.

When he began drawing hearts in red marker on her work, “I didn’t think twice about it,” she said, reading a prepared statement on the phone during the hearing. “Of course there was love and affection there. He was the one who filled in for my parents.

Their relationship led to a kiss — her first — and then eventually became more physical.

“At the time, I hadn’t registered at all that I was being abused,” she said. “Here was a man that was kind, smart, and trustworthy. She said that she couldn’t believe someone could do such horrible things.

She stated that during her junior year she became isolated from other people, failed to take care of herself and quit attending classes and homework.

“Even as I was deep in this fog of depression, I still thought you were trying to help me,” she said. “You would stop by my room and drop off my favorite snacks, still trying to cheer me up with my favorite songs. I had a hard time accepting the love and support of others in my life. I was responsible for everything that happened to me. It took years of guilt and shame before I finally sought help.

Kaminski arrested in 2020. Kaminski was not allowed to speak except for answering routine questions and pleading guilty. He left a message for his lawyer asking for comment.

“We are relieved that Jerzy Kaminski is finally being held accountable for his crimes and the harm he has caused,” Exeter Principal Bill Rawson said in a statement. “We commend (the victim’s) efforts in seeking justice for herself and will support her in every way we can as she moves forward from this painful chapter.”

Exeter is just one of many prep schools in New England that have been subject to sexual misconduct claims dating back decades. This has led to lawsuits from former students and criminal prosecutions against faculty.

Exeter was made aware of the problem in 2016 when it became known that a teacher had been forced from his position several years prior to admitting to having sex with students back in the 1970s. Other teachers were also exposed and the school committed to reforms.

“This plea deal holds a particular teacher accountable for what he did, but does little for Exeter’s accountability for what was not done,” Ann Malabre, a founding board member of the Phillips Exeter Alumni for Truth and Healing, said in a statement.

She said that even now as the school conducts boundary and consent seminars with faculty and students, “the Exeter community is stunned and confused by the magnitude of this latest case of abuse of trust, the disturbing details, and its rippling repercussions.”