A former third-grade teacher on Long Island has been accused of sexually abusing more than 50 former students over several decades.
Thomas Bernagozzi, 76, of Babylon, pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing two former students on Wednesday in Suffolk County. At least 56 victims have come forward and accused the former teacher at Bay Shore Elementary School of abusing them when they were children, ABC 7 reported.
Bernagozzi worked as a third-grade teacher at the Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School and Gardiner Manor Elementary School between 1970 and 2000. He continued to work for the Bay Shore School District until 2003.
During his tenure, he was “revered” by students and colleagues in the district, with some parents even requesting their children be placed in his class, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors alleged in court Wednesday that district officials knew about the abuse and turned a blind eye.
While working for the district, Bernagozzi directed school plays and coached after-school sports. Outside work hours, he would take groups of children — mostly boys — to “local beaches, pools, gym, Broadway shows and sporting events,” prosecutors said.
After the New York State Child Victims Act passed in 2019, victims who suffered abuse while they were minors were allowed to file a civil suit against their abuser until they turned 55 years old. In this case, 45 victims filed lawsuits against the Bay Shore School District and Bernagozzi.
Bernagozzi was arrested on Dec. 21 and charged with one count of course sexual conduct against a child in the first degree and one count of sodomy in the first degree — both felonies.
Due to New York’s statute of limitations, only this case involving the two victims could be criminally prosecuted.
One child was abused between 1997 and 2000, and the other between 1989 and 1991, according to the criminal complaint.
Since his arrest, another 11 victims have come forward, according to ABC 7. The victims range from 4 to 8 years old.
“The sheer magnitude of what this defendant is alleged to have committed is astounding,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
Robert Hubbard, who filed one of the 45 civil lawsuits, said he was abused when he was Bernagozzi’s student in 1976. Hubbard told the outlet that Bernagozzi would fondle him in the classroom and at baseball games. He said he believes the former teacher should be in jail.
Judge Karen Wilutis set Bernagozzi’s bond at $300,000 cash and $600,000 bond, which his attorney indicated he would post, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
He faces up to 25 years in prison for each charge.
The Post has reached out to the Bay Shore School District for comment.
