OBEN Principal Arrested for Lying About Sex With Student
By Michael O'Reilly
Jessica Bader, the former Principal of the James Vernon School in Oyster Bay-East Norwich (OBEN), has been arrested and criminally charged by the Nassau District Attorney, after being caught entering false information on her application to the Online Application System for Educators (OLAS) - concealing prior charges of having sex with a student.
In March of 2022, Jessica Bader (previously known as Jessica Zimbler), now 52, applied for and was hired for the position of Director of Humanities at the Oyster Bay High School. In July of 2022, she then applied for and was hired as the Principal of the James Vernon School.
The problem is that her OLAS application specifically asked her if she ever had to resign from a position as an alternative to being fired.
Bader falsely answered “NO” to the question. The correct and truthful answer would have been “YES.”
Bader resigned as Vernon School Principal last fall, in October, 2023, after being caught lying.
The story begins almost 20 years ago, when Bader began a sexual relationship with a student at East Meadow High School, where Bader was a licensed English teacher.
The student’s mother found out about the relationship through inappropriate emails between the two and brought this relationship to the attention of School District.
Bader was given the option of resigning or face disciplinary action. She resigned, and her teacher’s license was ultimately suspended for four years. Bizarrely, Bader excused her behavior, claiming she had “a consensual relationship” with the student, and that the student had just turned 18 years old when she was caught.
For lying on her applications to Oyster Bay, Bader has been arrested and charged with several counts of offering a false instrument. She faces from one to four years in jail.
"Bader allegedly concealed her certificate suspension on applications for two high-level positions within the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District,” stated Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “Such actions compromise the trust parents place in educators and administrators."