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Indictment accuses ex-IPS teacher of abusing two young students at School 14
Hunter Sesemann faces nine battery counts stemming from alleged incidents involving two students with disabilities at Washington Irving School 14 in fall 2025. Indianapolis Public Schools says it removed him from the classroom and contacted police and child welfare officials after learning of the allegations.
A Marion County grand jury has indicted former Indianapolis Public Schools special education teacher Hunter Sesemann on nine battery counts involving two young students with disabilities at Washington Irving School 14.
The indictment, filed Monday, alleges the incidents happened on three dates in September and October 2025. The students were ages 5 and 6, according to attorneys Catherine Michael and Tammy Meyer, who represent their families. The charges include three misdemeanors and six felonies.
The attorneys said videos recorded in Sesemann’s classroom show him physically harming students, including an incident in which he allegedly dislocated one child’s arm. Meyer described conduct that included pulling, striking and tripping students, and said it was not a one-time occurrence. The allegations have not been proven in court.
An IPS spokesperson said the district removed Sesemann from the classroom and notified police and the Indiana Department of Child Services after learning of his alleged interactions with students. District personnel records show he resigned Nov. 15, about a month after the alleged incidents.
Sesemann was later listed as a student support staff member at St. Matthew Catholic School. The school said it placed him on administrative leave after learning of the indictment and was cooperating with authorities. Executive Director Sally Krause said required background checks had been completed before his employment. Sesemann did not respond to a request for comment.
The nonprofit Near Eastside Innovation School Corporation, which took over Washington Irving in 2023, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The school is part of IPS’s Innovation Network, which gives participating schools more authority over hiring and daily operations than traditional district schools. Washington Irving is not a charter school.
Michael and Meyer also represent a third family that has alleged Sesemann physically abused and neglected their child. The attorneys said they plan to file civil lawsuits for all three families.
The indictment comes less than a month after former IPS teacher Julious Johnican was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to neglect for encouraging and recording students fighting in his classroom. In response to that case and a related lawsuit, the IPS school board formed a task force to review school climate and culture across the district. The group last met in October 2025.
Meyer said the families hope the criminal case and planned civil litigation will spur changes in how schools protect students. The charges against Sesemann remain allegations unless and until they are proven in court.