Bay Shore school board to vote on sex-abuse settlement agreements totaling $35M, official says
Former Bay Shore teacher Thomas Bernagozzi at an arraignment in June. Credit: /John Roca
The Bay Shore school board is expected to vote Wednesday on the formal approval of 12 settlement agreements — totaling $35 million — for Child Victims Act cases brought by former students who allege they were sexually abused decades ago by elementary school teacher Thomas Bernagozzi, district officials announced Tuesday.
All 12 cases were uninsured, and the board is expected to "approve a judgment bond to fund these settlements” at a future meeting, according to a letter sent to the community by Superintendent Steven J. Maloney.
“A judgment bond does not require public approval as the sale and issuance are undertaken to effectuate the terms of said settlements,” Maloney’s letter said.
Due to confidentiality clauses within the agreements, Maloney said the district cannot provide additional details regarding the specifics of the settlements.
Board President Louis R. Bettinelli could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
In all, the district faced 45 Child Victims Act lawsuits, all involving Bernagozzi.
Suffolk County police arrested Bernagozzi, 76, of Babylon, in December 2023. Prosecutors have charged him with sodomy, sexual conduct against a child and possession of child sexual abuse material. He pleaded not guilty and is being held at Suffolk County Jail while awaiting trial. He has denied abusing children.
The suits have accused Bernagozzi of sexual abuse and the school district of failing to protect his alleged victims. A Newsday investigation published in April determined that the district kept Bernagozzi employed despite sexual abuse allegations that spanned decades. Bernagozzi retired in 2000 after a 30-year teaching career.
If the school board approves the agreements Wednesday, it will bring the number of resolved cases to 20. Three suits were resolved through insurance and five through settlements totaling $20 million.
A jury found the district liable in an additional case and awarded the plaintiff a $25 million judgment. The district is appealing the verdict in that case.
Bay Shore also faces mounting legal bills. The district has paid $1.9 million in legal fees to three law firms through October, according to invoices Newsday obtained through open records requests.
Thirty-nine Long Island school districts, including Bay Shore, have so far paid $131 million to settle 109 cases, according to court records Newsday obtained.
