It’s a Matter of Principle: Nyacker, Actor, Former Principal Releases Non-Fiction Book About High School Sex Scandal

Over ten years ago, Middletown, New York superintendent Robert Sigler was found guilty of sexually molesting a male high school student, and was sent to prison for a five-year sentence.

The story had always been a subject of gossip in Middletown, but never before had the full account and legal process been revealed. That is until last week, when Bern Cohen—Nyack resident and former principal at Middletown High School—released his non-fiction narrative book, Behind the Schoolhouse Doors, recounting the years surrounding the incident.

The first time Cohen became suspicious was when the victim was enrolled at Twin Towers Middle School. Several teachers from the middle school had contacted teachers at the high school, warning them that Sigler would regularly visit the boy.

“That’s when I first felt something strange was going on,” Cohen said. “The kid was in middle school, just 12-years-old, and the superintendent was already obsessed with him.”

Yet while suspicions grew, Cohen also had to fight an internal battle —Sigler and Cohen had been close friends prior to any trace of the incident.

“I was the principal, and we were close,” Cohen said. “I went to his house for dinner; we would go for rides on my boat. That’s why it was such a shock to me.”

“[But] we were friends, and he had never mentioned this boy to me,” Cohen added. “That immediately got me suspicious,” Cohen said.

Sigler later told Cohen he was mentoring the boy. 

After doubts began to creep in, Cohen went to his superiors—however, no one would take him seriously and intervene, Cohen said. Without any solid proof, Cohen decided to go to the police.

“As principal I have a responsibility to protect my children,” he said. “This helpless child needed to be protected and saved from this man’s obsession before it turned even worse.” 

As a result, Cohen put his friendship on the line with Sigler. But it was worth the risk, he said.

“He heard shortly after that I had reported him to the police, and you can imagine how he felt about me after that,” Cohen added. 

His relationship with Sigler wasn’t the only one that Cohen damaged in his efforts to save this boy from further harm.

“When I gave my grand jury testimony, I not only testified about my concerns regarding the superintendent, but also pointed out all the people I went to for help did nothing and didn’t believe me,” Cohen said.

After Sigler was jailed in 2003, the people who Cohen had testified against were now his superiors, knowing that he had reported them. In 2005, Cohen was fired from Middletown High School, on grounds of not reporting Sigler earlier.

In response, Cohen sued the district in federal court under whistleblower protection laws. The superiors he had once testified against offered him a choice: either Cohen could have his job as principal back, or he could settle for over half-a-million dollars.

Cohen settled.

About five years ago, Cohen began writing his book, recounting the story of how he put Sigler behind bars.

“The book is about all of the psychological issues and political obstacles that took place between the time I went to the police and gave them my suspicions, and the time that myself and other staff worked for the police under cover for 18 months trying to get him,” Cohen said.

While writing Behind Schoolhouse Doors, Cohen ran into several obstacles. Reliving the traumatic events took an emotional toll on the author, he said.

“There were many times that I cried while writing this book,” Cohen added.

After a few years of working on the book, there was a time when Cohen felt like he could not finish. It took an earth-shattering and much publicized controversy to motivate him to complete his work.

“When I heard about Sandusky, the Penn State football coach, I just thought to myself, this is just going to continue and continue,” Cohen said. “The Sandusky incident really prompted me to get this book done and get it out there.”

Also causing an elongation of the writing process was Cohen’s successful movie career.

After graduating from Adelphi University with degrees in acting and education, Cohen became a professional actor, performing in stage plays that were mostly off-Broadway. Cohen continued to act until his late twenties, when his second child was born.

“I had to be more realistic about a steady income, so I decided to go into education, but promised myself I would come back to acting,” Cohen said.

Cohen started in the education field by teaching fourth graders in Harlem. After one year, he moved up to the high school in Harlem, teaching English, reading and ESL classes. After several years, Cohen became assistant principal at the high school, then went on to hold different district level, and principal positions around Harlem and the South Bronx. After years in the city, Cohen decided to move upstate to Middletown, and became principal at the district’s high school.

Starting in 2003, Cohen began taking night classes at the Penny Templeton studio in the city, learning how to act for the camera, knowing he would retire in a few years. He freely admits that he prefers acting to educating.

“You have the opportunity to make-believe, the opportunity to live other people’s feelings and other people’s lives, are so interesting to delve into other people’s characters rather than my own—acting lets you constantly imagine,” Cohen said.

After ending his educational career in 2005, Cohen hit the movie scene. Almost instantly, Cohen began getting heaps of movie offers, and was accepted into all three actors unions.

Cohen credits his quick success to his combined stage and camera skills, and being a new face on the scene.

Within the past eight years, Cohen has had principal and starring roles in over forty films, and has worked with stars like Jesse Eisenberg, Katherine Heigl and Sean Penn.

“I’ve just been blown away with the success I’ve had,” Cohen said. “I get to travel, stay in different places, work with different actors. It’s quite an unexpected, exciting time for me. It’s been a hoot.”

Still, Cohen somehow found time between film shoots to write his book.

“Film work is sporadic enough that I was able to finish this book, and begin working on two others as well,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s next book to be released is about the psychological aspects of coaching youth spots. When he was a teacher, Cohen also served as a baseball coach.

After completing 25 edits in a period of over three-and-a-half years, Behind the Schoolhouse Doors was finally finished. After another full year of grueling applications to different publishing houses, a publisher picked up his work, and it began selling online last week.

Cohen has been shocked by the response the book has gotten after just a week.

“The outpouring of responses on the book’s Facebook page and website is so uplifting,” Cohen said. “So many people are saying, ‘Finally, to be able to hear the truth about this story’ and its amazingly rewarding.”

While Cohen is elated with how audiences have reacted to his piece, he still retains a sense of solemnity when it comes to the message he hopes is received by his target audience of parents and teachers.

“I want to make them [audiences] more vigilant about who is working with their children in schools,” Cohen said. “Not to trust somebody just because he has a title of teacher, or superintendent of football coach. There were two cases of teachers sexually abusing students in New York State last week alone. The only way this is going stop is if parents stop turning their kids over to the schools, and if you have any suspicions, you have to speak out.”

In the coming months, Cohen has his schedule filled to the brim. In a few weeks, Cohen will begin shooting a film called Shanghai Hand, about a Jewish ghetto located in Shanghai during the Holocaust. Next Tuesday, he has a primer at the Long Island Film festival. Cohen has also been invited to make appearances at numerous locations to discuss his book.

“Right now, I’m heavy into making films and speaking about this book,” Cohen said.