CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Video shows Jimtown High School teacher striking student
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - Surveillance video shows a high school student who was wearing a hoodie in the hallway being slapped and visibly injured by a teacher.
**WARNING: Some of you might find the graphic nature of this video disturbing.**
The incident was recorded last Friday at Jimtown High school.
It starts with the student walking down the hall, away from the camera.
Civics teacher Mike Hosinski can be seen coming out of a hallway to the left of the screen. He quickly chases down the student with the hoodie.
When the two are face to face, the teacher is seen waiving a finger of one hand in the student’s face, before slapping that face with his open right hand. The student’s head appears to hit the wall behind him.
The student later stumbles and falls to the ground as the teacher attempts to escort him further down the hall.
On Monday morning, dozens of Jimtown students staged a walkout to support Hosinski--a teacher one participant said was laid back with no temper.
Hosinski has been on the job nearly 40-years and was named Teacher of the Year at Jimtown in 2020.
A community Facebook page was also created to support Hosinski. It attracted as many as 575 members. At this time, the page appears to have been deleted.
Hosinski had earlier served notice that he was retiring in June. The school board approved a retirement package for Hosinski effective immediately at a meeting Monday night. That retirement package includes full benefits, including a pension.
An overflow crowd attended that meeting to show their support for Hosinski.
“It happened. We’re not proud of it, but I still back Mike Hosinski,” said a parent.
“He’s had 40 years of good service and for this one incident to tarnish his reputation ...he feels really bad after the time... that’s what I am sad about. The guy is a good guy,” said friend and former co-worker Terry Hilyard.
“And this room is full of people...this more feels like we are reading an eulogy than it is a termination. There’s a reason to it because he had that kind of an impact on his community, on every person in here,” said another parent.
Many at the meeting said the administration is to blame.
“In my four years of being here, I have watched the discipline decline. Each year students become more rebellious and treat our high school staff poorly,” said one student.
“The student was put on too loose of a chain,” said a parent.
“With proper administration, the situation could have possibly been prevented,” said the student.
“The kid has reportedly been expelled from Concord, from Elkhart Schools and from Jimtown Schools for the first semester. He came back in January and has been sent to the office 30 times, reportedly,” said another parent.
The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the matter along with the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Original Post:
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - Surveillance video shows the moment a Jimtown High School teacher struck a student in the hallway.
The video shows the teacher, identified as Mike Hosinski, going out into the hallway to chase down a student wearing a hoodie. Hosinski is then seen waving a finger in the face of the student before slapping the student in the face, knocking him against the wall.
Hosinski is no longer employed by Baugo Community Schools and is no longer allowed on school grounds. Before the video was released, students at the high school participated in a walkout in support of Hosinski on Monday morning.
Copyright 2022 WNDU. All rights reserved.
