Westwood Band Teacher Who Sexually Abused Students Gives Up Licenses, Eyes Parole In 7 Months

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A former New Jersey music teacher and school administrator, incarcerated for sexually assaulting at least two students, has given up his teaching certifications with the force of a revocation, state officials confirmed.

Kurt E. Zimmermann, 56, a father of two from Rockaway, was ordered to relinquish his Teacher of Music certificate and Principal Certificate of Eligibility at a June 26 meeting of the New Jersey State Board of Examiners, according to the board’s formal order.

As of press time, Zimmermann was incarcerated in Bayside State Prison and will be eligible for parole in March 2026, the DOC site shows. 

The board reviewed an affidavit from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office before voting to revoke the certificates, which Zimmermann had held since 1991 and 2020, respectively, the board said. He was required to return the documents to the state within 30 days.

Zimmermann was first arrested on Feb. 23, 2024, following an investigation by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella’s office, which accused him of engaging in sexual conduct with a juvenile student between 16 and 18 years old on June 2, 2003, while employed by the Morris Hills Regional District in Rockaway.

He was charged again on March 13, 2024, after a second set of accusations — this time involving students from both Westwood Regional Middle School and Westwood Regional High School, as reported by Daily Voice.

Zimmermann allegedly touched himself or another through force or coercion on three separate occasions, according to charges under New Jersey sexual assault statutes. He was also charged with child endangerment.

The incidents occurred during his employment as director of middle school bands in Westwood from September 2010 to February 2013, and during his prior time in Rockaway, according to investigators.

Zimmermann had most recently worked for more than a decade at Hopatcong High School, serving as both band director and later coordinator of student discipline, his LinkedIn profile says.