Ex-IPS teacher indicted on battery charges involving students with disabilities

INDIANAPOLIS – Former Indianapolis Public Schools special education teacher Hunter Sesemann has been indicted by a Marion County grand jury on nine criminal charges arising from accusations of physical abuse involving young students with disabilities at Washington Irving Neighborhood School 14 in Indianapolis.

The indictment, filed Oct. 19, 2026, in Marion Superior Court, includes six Level 6 felony charges and three Class B misdemeanor charges. Specifically, Sesemann faces three felony counts of battery on a person less than 14 years old, three felony counts of battery against a person with a disability, and three misdemeanor counts of battery.

The charges stem from incidents occurring in the fall of 2025. Prosecutors state that Sesemann knowingly subjected two juvenile victims to unlawful physical contact while they were under his care. Both children were younger than 14 years old and had mental disabilities.

Attorneys Catherine Michael of Connell Michael LLP and Tammy Meyer of Metzger Rosta LLP represent both juvenile victims identified in the criminal indictment, as well as a third student whose family has independently raised claims of physical abuse and neglect involving Sesemann and IPS’s failure to protect their child. The attorneys are preparing civil lawsuits on behalf of all three families.

“The accusations in the indictment are deeply troubling because they involve young children with disabilities who depended on the adults in their classroom to keep them safe,” said attorney Tammy Meyer. “Parents send their children to school trusting that educators will protect them, especially when those children may have difficulty communicating what is happening to them. That trust is fundamental, and claims that it was violated demand serious scrutiny.”

The anticipated civil lawsuits will address claims extending beyond Sesemann’s individual conduct, including whether school officials and the entities responsible for operating and overseeing School 14 fulfilled their obligations to supervise staff, respond to reports of abuse, and protect students from further harm.

“Criminal charges are an important step toward accountability, but they do not resolve the broader questions about how these children were treated or whether those responsible for their safety took appropriate action,” said attorney Catherine Michael. “Our clients and their families deserve answers about what happened inside that IPS school, what school officials knew, and what could have been done to prevent the harm.”

The families will be pursuing civil remedies to address the injuries suffered by their children and to seek accountability from those responsible for their care and protection.

“Children with disabilities are among our most vulnerable students, and schools have a responsibility to ensure that their needs are met in an environment free from abuse,” Michael continued. “These families are seeking more than an acknowledgment that something went wrong. They want meaningful accountability and changes that help prevent other children from experiencing similar abuse.”

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