Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Assault After Hitting Student With a Hockey Stick

(KNSI) — A former teacher accused of hitting an eight-year-old student with a hockey stick has pled guilty to assault.

On March 28th, students picked up hockey sticks at the end of gym class at Princeton Primary. Eight-year-old Easton Johnson is seen gently tossing his stick on the pile in the video. The teacher, Kim Neubauer, picks up the stick and hurls it directly at Easton’s face. Easton immediately put his hands over his face, and Neubauer seemingly scolded him as he picked up his stick again to try and return it to the pile before he turned around to run out of the gym.

Easton’s face was bruised, his lip was split open, and the impact knocked out a tooth.

Neubauer was placed on an unpaid leave of absence for the remainder of the school year after the allegations were substantiated, but she was allowed to retire.

The Minnesota Department of Education sent the Johnson family a letter admitting Easton was subject to maltreatment. The Princeton Police Department initially declined to investigate or press charges but later reversed that decision and, in July, charged Neubauer with third-degree assault.

She is set to be sentenced on February 23rd.

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