Vernon School Principal Fired Over Sex With Student

By Chris O'Neill

The mysterious sudden resignation last October, of newly-appointed Principal Jessica Bader from the Vernon School (grades 3-6) in East Norwich, was due to a sex scandal that she had with a student at a prior teaching job - which she concealed from the Oyster Bay - East Norwich (OBEN) school district.

Bader worked as a teacher at the East Meadow school district in 2005, when she was caught having a sex with an 18-year-old high school student.

She was suspended from teaching, resigned from the East Meadow school district, and her teaching certification was suspended for four years.

Then, in 2013, Bader was hired by the New York City schools as an Assistant Principal at the George Ryan Middle School in Fresh Meadows, Queens.  She held that job for nine years before taking a job as an Assistant Principal at the Vernon School in the OBEN school district.

She was promoted to Principal just five months ago, in September, 2023.

According to the OBEN Superintendent's office, Bader concealed her prior firing for sex with a student in East Meadow, and her suspension by the NYS Board of Education.

Parents in the OBEN district are alarmed that the Superintendent hired a person, with a record of sexual misconduct, as a School Assistant Principal - and then promoted her to Principal - without apparently doing a basic "background check" or any normal due diligence before hiring her.

The OBEN Superintendent issued a letter to the community in October disclosing the firing of Bader - but not disclosing her serious sexual misconduct behind her firing.