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Jessica Bader, who was previously known as Jessica Zimbler, faced her arraignment on Monday, April 1, the Nassau County District Attorney announced.
Bader, age 52 from Nesconset, applied for a position as the Director of Humanities at the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District (OBENCSD) in March 2022, the DA’s Office said. She was hired two months later.
In July 2023, she was hired for the principal position at James H. Vernon School in East Norwich.
However, for both of these positions, Bader submitted applications through the Online Application System for Educators (OLAS).
As part of these applications, Bader was asked if she had ever resigned from a position, either of her own volition or as an alternative to being fired, as well as if she had ever had her teaching certificate suspended by a government agency.
She allegedly answered “no” to these questions on both applications, according to the charges against her, as well as giving a similar answer on a separate application for the Director of Humanities position.
In addition, she did not include on her resume her time at East Meadow High School, where she worked as an English teacher from 1999 until 2005, when she was asked to resign for having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
After her resignation, the DA’s Office said, the allegations against Bader (who was using the last name “Zimbler” at the time) were escalated to the New York State Department of Education for a disciplinary hearing. Her teaching certificate was suspended for four years in December 2007.
Since her certificate was reinstated, Bader allegedly worked at schools in Brooklyn and Queens, including as an assistant principal for a middle school.
In September 2023, Bader resigned from James H. Vernon School.
“Parents across Nassau County entrust their children to the care of educators and administrators every day,” said District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. "These professionals must be held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.”
She is charged with three counts each of offering a false instrument for filing in the first and second degrees.
Bader is due back in court on Thursday, April 11. If convicted, she faces up to one-and-one-third to four years in prison.
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