Red Bank Teacher's Family Knew He Sexually Abused Student, Lawsuit Says

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RED BANK, NJ — Family members knew a Red Bank Regional High School teacher had sexually abused one of his students and did not take steps to stop him, the student alleges in a lawsuit.

Michael F. Canning is serving a four-year prison sentence on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, the outcome of charges filed against him in November 2022 as a result of the student contacting authorities.

In the lawsuit filed Monday, the victim alleges that two of Canning’s family members knew or should have known that Canning was having sex with the victim because of explicit text messages one of them found on Canning’s phone.

The lawsuit, which names Canning, the family members, the district and the district’s Board of Education, alleges the family members – who also worked for the school district – failed to take “reasonable steps” to stop him from “targeting, grooming, and sexually abusing, sexually assaulting and/or having inappropriate sexual contact” with the victim.

In a statement sent to Patch, Red Bank Regional Board of Education President Patrick Noble said the board cannot comment on litigation or personnel.

The family members have not been criminally charged in connection with Canning’s actions.

The student has accused Canning of grooming her by texting and emailing her to build her trust in him, starting while she was a sophomore in his English class in 2015.

“While this relationship was inappropriate, initially, it was not sexual,” the lawsuit said. “It was, however, designed to groom and build [the victim’s] trust in Canning.”

The sexual abuse began the following school year and continued through her senior year of high school, with Canning having sexual contact with the victim at her parents’ home; at his home when his spouse was not home; in his high school classroom, and other locations in or around Red Bank, Little Silver and Shrewsbury, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges Canning gave the victim alcohol and marijuana on more than one occasion. It also alleges that when he “took her virginity” when she was 16, he did nothing to render aid when she “collapsed and passed out from the pain associated with the assault.”

Instead, he told the victim “he could not use condoms because his wife might find them …” and told the victim “the discomfort she felt from his rapes and assaults are routine in a mature relationship,” the lawsuit says.

The victim alleges that Canning, in one instance, encouraged her to pour a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and diluted acetone into her body while elevating her pelvis to prevent pregnancy, according to the lawsuit.

“[The victim] suffered great pain from this but Canning told [her] it was necessary to prevent her from getting pregnant,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges that one of Canning’s family members discovered explicit text messages between her and Canning during the student’s senior year and told Canning to change his phone number on at least two occasions upon learning of their relationship.

That family member told another family member, who also worked for the district, about the messages, the lawsuit alleges. There is no indication in the complaint that either one told authorities about the explicit texts.

The victim also alleges that she confided in a friend about what happened with Canning, about a year after she graduated. That friend offered to talk with his father, who was a member of the Red Bank Regional Board of Education and a retired Shrewsbury police officer.

The lawsuit alleges the father advised her, through his son, against filing a formal police complaint against Canning, cautioning her that initiating such a process would subject her to “a burdensome, complex, and distressing experience.”

The student reached out to law enforcement after learning that Canning was having relationships with other female students, NJ.com reported.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, says the victim has suffered “extreme mental and physical pain and anguish, including depression and suicidal thoughts and tendencies,” as a result of what happened with Canning.

Previous Coverage

• Red Bank Regional Teacher Had Sexual Relationship With Teen: Police