KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bishop Miege High School President Phil Baniewicz, already on leave pending an investigation, has now been restricted from all active ministry, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced Tuesday.
In a letter to the community Tuesday morning, the archdiocese said the escalation was prompted by a new allegation of inappropriate behavior between Baniewicz and a minor. The letter said the church received the allegation after putting Baniewicz on leave on June 6 and after KSHB 41's story with a former student who complained about him to the archdiocese.
“These restrictions are based on previously unknown information, which has not been released in public media, provided to the archdiocese after the June 6 announcement that he was placed on administrative leave at Bishop Miege High School,” the archdiocese wrote. “This information has been reported to civil authorities.”
VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Sarah Plake
That allegation is different from the other people KSHB 41 has interviewed.
"I highly doubt I was the first person to come forward with something like it," Parker Valdez, a former student at Maur Hill-Mount Academy, said. "So, it worries me that maybe myself coming forward and Taylor's story aren't the sole motivators, aren't the only thing prompting the investigation."
KSHB 41's Sarah Plake interviewed Valdez and Taylor Kelsey, who went to Maur-Hill when Baniewicz was president there nearly 10 years ago. They both described one-on-one closed-door meetings with Baniewicz where they said he pried for details about their sex lives while lecturing them about purity and shame.
"I think he has clouded judgment and I question his ability to run a school," Taylor Kelsey previously told Plake.
Both women filed complaints with the Archdiocese.
"It took so long for me to come forward with my story because I'd rationalized it and made it make sense, especially in the Catholic school setting," Kelsey said.
Kelsey filed her complaint at the end of May. About a week later, the Archdiocese put Baniewicz on leave, launching an investigation.
KSHB 41 interviewed Taylor again on Wednesday following the new announcement.
"I'm watching what the archdiocese is doing," Kelsey said. "I'm holding them accountable, and I'm continuing to talk to them and trying to get some answers."
Valdez told KSHB 41 she initially sent a complaint to the archdiocese two years ago, but she never got a response.
You can watch more of Valdez' interview in the video player below.
Under the expanded restrictions, Baniewicz cannot engage in youth ministry and volunteer work in any Catholic parish, school, institution or event within the archdiocese. He’s also prohibited from representing the church in any official, volunteer, ministerial or leadership role.
He's also banned from participating in Life Teen, a popular youth ministry program that Baniewicz co-founded in the 80s.
Archbishop Shawn McKnight said in the letter the latest action was taken “in the interest of promoting the common good, protecting the vulnerable, and pursuing the truth of the matters being investigated."
We know this new allegation came in after KSHB 41's first story with Taylor and after the Archdiocese announced Baniewicz was on leave on June 6.
We are trying to figure out which "civil authorities" the Archdiocese reported it to.
The archdiocese communications team would not tell us, sending us an email that reads: "Those civil authorities have not asked us to publicize their contact information, so, per our protocols, we will not be releasing information on those reports."
Roeland Park Police, where Miege is located, said it is not investigating the allegation. Neither is the Johnson County Sheriff's Office.
KSHB 41 reached out to Atchison law enforcement, where Maur Hill is located, but did not receive a response as of Wednesday afternoon.
KSHB 41 also reached out to the KBI and the Kansas Highway Patrol, but have not received a response as of Wednesday afternoon.
The KS Department for Children and Families (DCF) spokesperson told us "the Archdiocese of Kansas City would have to confirm specifically what it meant by 'civil authorities. However, that reference likely refers to the Kansas Protection Report Center (KPRC) and local law enforcement."
The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is the state agency that manages the KPRC. Reports to the KPRC can be made 24/7 by calling the hotline: 1-800-922-5330 or by going online.
DCF's spokesperson told us, "By statute, and to protect the privacy of children who may be victims of abuse or neglect, DCF does not release case-specific information regarding investigations, including the confmation or denial of an investigation."
Kelsey, who is a mother of three, has a message for anyone who is conflicted about reporting inappropriate behavior by an authority figure:
"To all the kids at home, especially my girls, your voice matters," Kelsey said. "Even with little things. If you see something, say something and if you feel something, say something."
Baniewicz’s tenure at Bishop Miege has been under scrutiny since he was hired.
He has been the subject of past child sexual abuse allegations in a civil lawsuit. He has never been charged.
KSHB 41 first reported on community concerns following his hiring at Miege in 2023.
David Clohessy with SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, spoke to KSHB 41 on Wednesday following the new announcement.
"Still, Kansas City archdiocesan leadership refuses to come clean and be honest," Clohessy said. "They continue to minimize his wrongdoing with vague statements like 'inappropriate behavior' with kids."
Clohessy has long pushed for more transparency within the archdiocese, urging former Archbishop Joseph Naumann and now Archbishop McKnight to have a meeting with parents, staff, and alumni.
He reminds the community that abuse isn't always physical: it "starts with sexual banter, sexual innuendo, being alone with a kid, giving a child what seems to be an innocent hug" and the perpetrator often "blurs the lines, ignores boundaries, and tests how much they can get away with."
Clohessy says while the archdiocesan Office for Protection and Care offers ways to report abuse, including a confidential report line, the best recourse is to report any suspected abuse to police.
See Clohessy's interview in the video player below.
—
