Katie 
Szczesny (Jerzy) Kaminski, 59, of Exeter, New Hampshire. [Image credit: Exeter Police Department}
In a letter sent out by the Philips Exeter Academy's school administration, parents were informed that the school had previously reached out to the Exeter Police department in May 2016 after members of the community expressed concerns about one of their teachers.
“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,” school principal William Rawson said.
New information was brought to the police earlier this year causing them to reopen the case. In April of this year 59-year-old Szczesny Kaminski was terminated from his position at the private academy as a math teacher. He was additionally removed from his on campus housing and issued a trespass warning.
“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.”
"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," the letter stated.
Police arrested Kaminski on August 24th and charged with three counts of pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault and three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault. He is accused of repeatedly abusing a student between 2013 and 2015 during her freshman and sophomore years at the school.
During the 2016 investigation, police spoke with both the girl and her parents. At the time, the girl had maintained that nothing inappropriate was happening despite the fact that Kaminski had managed to ingratiate himself into her family so much that he was responsible, at her parents' request, to drive her to music lessons in Boston, and even traveled to China with the family according to the Boston Globe.
“They stated that they were surprised to hear that people thought it might be suspicious activity,” police wrote in a 2016 report. “The parents in the case do not want the concerns investigated and are comfortable with Kaminski’s relationship with their daughter.”
The girl, now in her early 20s, came forward to police earlier this year told investigators what had really been happening and provided texts and emails to back up her allegations.
On Tuesday Kaminski appeared in a 10th Circuit Court, District Division, in Brentwood, New Hampshire and entered a plea of not guilty.
The prosecution, Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway, requested that Kaminski be ordered held without bail. “He sexually assaulted the child not once, but over and over and over and over again. For years,” she said. “This was clearly calculated. He didn’t stop even after twice being warned by the administration.”
His bail has been set at $50,000 and he is ordered, should he be released, not to have any contact with the alleged victim and to agree to return for future court dates as his attorney attests that his roots and wife of 29 years are in Massachusetts.
His next court date was not stated.
Exeter Police are asking that anyone with information please contact them.
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