Ex-Tolland teacher, tennis coach sentenced to prison for sex assault of student

A former Tolland teacher and tennis coach has been sentenced to serve two years behind bars and must register as a sex offender for sexually assaulting a student, state officials said.

Former Tolland High School English teacher Kris Coffey, 43, appeared in Superior Court in Rockville Friday before Judge Kathleen E. McNamara, who sentenced him to 10 years in prison suspended after two years served, plus 10 years of probation for second-degree sexual assault, according to Tolland State’s Attorney Matthew C. Gedansky.

Tolland High School teacher arrested on sexual assault charges for alleged relationship with student

Coffey, of Coventry, was arrested in April 2023, less than two months after a complaint was lodged with the Department of Children and Families accusing Coffey of having a sexual relationship with a student about 8 years earlier, Gedansky said in a statement.

DCF and Connecticut State Police investigated the report and found that Coffey had a relationship with a Tolland High School student in 2014 and 2015, officials said.

An arrest warrant for Coffey said that the complainant, a female student, reported that Coffey kissed her when they met in his classroom, exposed his genitals to her in a classroom, grabbed her sexually when other students were not looking and met up with her in a wooded area near the school without pants on, records show.

“It is both baffling and appalling that we still need to send the message that teachers cannot have sexual relationships with their students,” said Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Jaclyn Preville, who prosecuted the case. “The inherent power dynamic of teacher over student places all responsibility on the teacher to maintain professional boundaries.”

Coffey had been an English teacher in Tolland for about 15 years at the time of his arrest, records show.

Preville said in a statement she hopes Coffey’s sentencing sends a clear message to others working with children and teens.

“I hope this sentencing today is a strong message to those entrusted with children and young adults that this behavior is completely unacceptable and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” she said.