Middletown High School (New York)

The school has been at the center of a number of controversies in the last several years. When former district superintendent Robert Sigler was investigated and convicted in 2003 for sexually abusing a male student, then-principal Bernard Cohen was suspended by the school board (with pay) and barred from school-related events for allegedly not doing enough to prevent it, and other allegations against him. These included under reporting violence and complaints at the school (involving students, teachers and him), falsifying records in a corrupt manner, putting students who dropped out or got expelled under the "transferred schools" category, and last but not least, unethically accepting money and/or other bribes and favors in return for getting students diplomas who didn't meet NY state requirements. He claimed it was retaliation for his testimony before the county grand jury investigating the abuse and that he was being scapegoated.[4] Students claiming to be sympathetic to him organized a protest walkout, spoke in his behalf at board meetings and then helped campaign during the ensuing elections, in which two incumbents were defeated, Cohen denied having anything to do with this.[5] Four years later, the school district settled with Cohen for $425,000.[6]

The 2005 school year began chaotically when many students received incorrect class schedules or none at all due to problems implementing a new computer program, (some called it Cohen's revenge as he still had influence at the school) [7][8] and continued as ongoing construction did not run smoothly and disrupted the school.[9] Students again staged a walkout over a number of their concerns that they believed were not being taken seriously by the district administration, such as overcrowding and safety issues.[10] Cohen's replacement, Larry Ashley, resigned three months into the school year, citing health problems.[9]

Later that month, the district sought to fire tenured art teacher Peter Panse, who had offered his senior students a nude figure drawing class taught off-campus as a way to improve their portfolios and chances for scholarships at art schools. Very few of his students supported him, but many claimed they had felt pressured into taking the class. The district argued Panse had a conflict of interest, since he personally profited from the students taking the class. After lengthy litigation, in January 2007 a state administrative law judge ruled that he should have been suspended for only 15 days and ordered him reinstated.[11] The beginning of the 2007-08 school year also saw some more scheduling problems, with new textbooks ordered only the week before school opened and many teachers not knowing their own schedules.[12]

The 2007-2008 school year also started off rough. However, the MHS community came together to overcome the obstacles of the past and had the largest graduating class in 10 years. In 2008 the school opened state of the art athletic facilities, Faller Field, and opened the brand new stadium with the Erie Bell game in which Middletown was victorious over Port Jervis. The turf field is Class One FIFA approved and IAAF-certified.