Attorney: kids made up story about teacher watching porn at school

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A Long Beach man who teaches in Glen Head was arrested on April 12 after police said that four middle school students observed him watching pornography at the school. But the man’s attorney said that the kids have a grudge against his client and made the whole thing up.

According to police, Aaron Kozlowski, 31, a physical education teacher at North Shore Middle School, was in his office in February when three 12-year-old male students and one 13-year-old male student observed him watching pornography on his computer and fondling himself. Police said that the students did not report the behavior until recently. Kozlowski, a former Hofstra University lacrosse player and scholar athlete, surrendered to detectives in Williston Park last Friday. 

He was charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Kozlowski was arraigned last Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead and was released without bail. He has been suspended from his job with pay and signed an order of protection to stay away from the students who made the allegations.

But Kozlowski’s attorney, Rick Ostrove, told the Herald on Tuesday that his client has pleaded not guilty. He strongly denied the students’ claims, saying that they are “categorically” false.

“I think that at least one of the kids has something against him, and said so to other teachers who will be witnesses to that,” Ostrove said. “We have a witness who overheard a student saying that my client was a [expletive] and had a bunch of other criticism against him that was made prior to the allegations. They’re middle school kids. They make things up. But they’re not true. I’m confident that at the end of the day, everyone will know what really happened.”

Ostrove would not elaborate on the alleged animosity the students’ held against Kozlowski or say whether the teacher had been forced to take disciplinary action against any of the students.

“Some kids in gym don’t want to participate …” he said.

Ostrove said his client has no arrest record, and is getting married in June. He explained that Kozlowski has received only positive feedback at the school, has an “impeccable” record and that his family and fiancé are standing by him.

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