Eva Tenuto and Jeramie Collins joined forces at Kingston High School in 2016 to create the TMI Project. the duo discovered they were linked by a former teacher who had groomed Tenuto and was later reported by another student to Collins.
The 2016 meeting at Kingston High School that revealed a shared predator
In 2016, Eva Tenuto and football coach Jeramie Collins met at Kingston High School in New York's mid-Hudson Valley to propose a workshop for student-athletes. According to the report, this professional meeting took an unexpected turn when the two discovered they were connected by the same educational system and a shared history of institutional failure. While waiting to meet the principal, the pair realized they had both encountered the same predatory teacher, albeit in different roles.
Jeramie Collins recounted how, during his first year of teaching, a student reported inappropriate touching by a health teacher. Despite warnings from colleagues that reporting the incident could jeopardize his own career, Jeramie Collins chose to report the teaacher. This act of courage created a bridge to Eva Tenuto, who identified that same teacher as the man who had groomed her for years.
The four-year grooming cycle that began at age 14
The abuse suffered by Eva Tenuto began on her first day of high school when she was 14 years old. As the report says, a teacher in his early 50s targeted Tenuto due to her perceived vulnerability, using special treatment—such as excuses from study hall and walks during lunch—to mimic a romantic relationship. For years, Tenuto viewed this attention as exciting rather than predatory, a common characteristic of the grooming process.
The dynamic shifted violently during Tenuto's senior year when the teacher attempted to kiss her outside the principal's office. After Tenuto rejected the advance, the teacher's behavior turned from affection to anger, and the special treatment ceased. Tenuto later described experiencing "full-body rage" in adulthood as she processed the reality of the abuse she had previously minimized.
How a retirement option protected a predator from criminal charges
The institutional response to the abuse at Kingston High School highlights a systemic failure to prioritize victim safety over administrative convenience. When a student reported the teacher's behavior to Jeramie Collins, the school did not pursue criminal charges or immediate termination. instead, the teacher was given a choice: face a formal investigation or retire early.
The teacher chose early retirement , which allowed him to retain his pension and avoid legal consequences. This outcome not only shielded the perpetrator but, according to the source , enabled him to continue working with girls in other capacities. This pattern of "quiet exits" often leaves survivors like Eva Tenuto without justice and allows predators to move undetected through other institutions.
Tony Porter's 'Man Box' as a blueprint for the TMI Project
To prevent future violence, Eva Tenuto integrated the teachings of Tony Porter, CEO of A Call to Men, into the TMI Project. The workshops center on the concept of the "Man Box," a set of rigid cultural expectations that demand men be dominating, strong, and devoid of emotion except for anger. This framework suggests that these norms prevent young men from seeking help and sustain a culture where violence against women and girls can flourish.
The TMI Project utilizes storytelling to break the shame and embarrassment that often surround trauma. By partnering with Jeramie Collins, the program encourages young men to develop the courage to speak out against violence and challenge the restrictive norms of the Man Box. The goal is to transform personal trauma into a community-wide educational tool for prevention.
The lasting silence of the student who reported the abuse
While the TMI Project seeks to empower voices, the story of the unnamed student who first reported the teacher serves as a grim reminder of the risks involved. That student faced ostraciaztion and "slut-shaming" after coming forward, eventually expressing regret to Jeramie Collins for ever speaking up. This highlights a critical gap in the source's narrative: the lack of support systems for whistleblowers within the school's administration.
Furthermore, it remains unclear if any other students were targeted by the teacher during his tenure or if the school board ever conducted a full audit of his conduct . The fact that the perpetrator was allowed to retire with a full pension suggests a level of institutional complicity that the TMI Project now works to dismantle through education and open dialogue.
Comments 0