Glen Head teacher Aaron Kozlowski, accused of watching porn in school, ordered by judge not to contact accusers

A Glen Head physical education teacher accused of watching pornography in his locker room office was ordered Saturday to have no contact with the boys who made the allegation.

The four boys at North Shore Middle School say they caught the teacher, Aaron Kozlowski, viewing pornography on a computer and fondling himself, according to police.

Not-guilty pleas were entered for Kozlowski, 31, who lives in Long Beach, on four misdemeanor child endangerment counts Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead. He was freed without bail.

After the arraignment, Kozlowski's attorney called the allegations "preposterous" and "made up."

According to police, the 12- and 13-year-old boys visited the locker room after school on Feb. 8 so that one of them could get his shoulder pads. They said they peered inside Kozlowski's office through a slightly open door and saw "Mr. K" masturbating to pornography featuring two men having sex.

"I was in a state of shock," one of the boys told police. "I could not believe what I was seeing."

The four then "speed-walked out of the locker room" to avoid being noticed, according to the boy. "I was no longer able to trust him. It was unfair for me to have to see what I saw."

The boys said they didn't report the incident immediately because they thought Kozlowski might lose his job and they feared reprisals, according to police.

On March 7, after the boys claim Kozlowski made a sexual comment to one of them during pushups in gym class, they all told a guidance counselor about the office pornography, police said.

Soon afterward, the boys found anonymous notes in their lockers making death threats. They also received prank phone calls and were bullied by classmates, according to court papers.

During Saturday's hearing, attended by Kozlowski's mother and fiancee, Judge William O'Brien signed the protection orders barring Kozlowski from contacting his accusers.

Kozlowski's attorney, Rick Ostrove of Carle Place, said afterward that the teens are lying.

"You have four kids who made something up. They're going along with a story," he said. "It just didn't happen. It's a preposterous story."

Without providing specifics, Ostrove suggested that one of the boys had animosity toward Kozlowski.

Police wouldn't say whether detectives have corroborated the allegations beyond the boys' statements, or whether the teacher's computer had been searched.

Prosecutor Timothy McNutt said Kozlowski has been suspended by the school. Kozlowski, who surrendered to police on Friday, has taught at the school since 2004.

Reached by phone, North Shore Principal Marc Ferris declined to discuss the case. "We do everything within the law to protect our kids and keep our schools safe for children, and that's our top priority," he said.