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Former Jimtown High School teacher who hit and injured student charged with misdemeanor battery

Screenshot of Jimtown High School security footage

A former Jimtown High School teacher who struck and injured a student in late February has been arrested and charged with battery.

In a March 3 news release, the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office said 61-year-old Mike Hosinski was taken into custody after a detailed investigation. He was later released after posting a $1,500 bond.

According to a March 7 release from the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office, Hosinski has been formally charged with one count of battery resulting in injury, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.

School security camera footage shows Hosinski, who was a social studies teacher, grabbing a 15-year-old 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 said Hosinski confronted the student about the hoodie they had worn to class, and medical staff immediately treated the student for their injuries.

Hosinski had planned to retire at the end of this school year, but he submitted a request to retire immediately shortly after Feb. 25 incident.

On Feb. 28, the Baugo Community School 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.

Several community members, including parents and students, spoke in support of Hosinski at the board meeting.

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.

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.

An initial hearing in the case is set for Thursday, March 10.

This story has been updated.

Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.

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Jakob Lazzaro came to Indiana from Chicago, where he graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a degree in Journalism and a double major in History. Before joining WVPE, he wrote NPR's Source of the Week e-mail newsletter, and previously worked for CalMatters, Pittsburgh's 90.5 WESA and North by Northwestern.