The Jimtown High School library was packed Monday night as the Baugo Community School Board met to consider the retirement of a teacher who struck and injured a student last Friday.
School security camera footage shows Jimtown social studies teacher Mike Hosinski grabbing a student by the backpack, reprimanding them, then slapping them across the face. The student’s head rebounds off the wall behind them and they later fall to the ground.
A Feb. 25 release from the school says Hosinski confronted the student about the hoodie they had worn to class, and medical staff immediately treated the student for their injuries.
Both the Indiana Department of Child Services and the Elkhart Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident. The release says it has also been referred to licensing officials at the Indiana Department of Education.
Several community members, including parents and students, spoke in support of Hosinski at the board meeting Monday night.
They said the student was facing several discipline referrals, and blamed school administration for not disciplining them properly. Some even called for the removal of Superintendent Byron Sanders.
According to a Feb. 27 release from the district, Hosinski was set to retire at the end of the school year, but he submitted a request to retire immediately shortly after Friday’s incident.
The board voted to grant Hosinski’s request, meaning he will be eligible for full pension benefits from the state. School attorney Tim Shelly said the only way the state could recover pension money is if Hosinski was convicted of stealing from the school.
The board’s vote was met with a round of applause.
Hosinski also drew ire from the Northern Indiana Atheists in 2019 over political and religious material posted in his classroom.
Baugo’s release says investigations into Hosinski’s actions are ongoing. Per school policy, he is prohibited from being on school grounds until those investigations conclude.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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