Teacher accused of choking 12-year-old gets reassigned from school, NY officials say

A teacher accused of choking a child at school was “reassigned away from the school and students” and faces criminal charges, officials in New York City say.

He allegedly grabbed the 12-year-old student by his neck in the cafeteria of the School of Performing Arts, also known as I.S. 217, in the Bronx on Thursday, April 28, WABC and other outlets reported.

Now, teacher Chester Hingle, 45, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal obstruction of breathing, the NYPD said in a statement provided to McClatchy News. He was arrested on April 28.

Hingle or a representative of the school could not be immediately reached for comment by McClatchy News.

Hingle is accused of choking the student for about five seconds, NBC New York reported. The child was hospitalized and later released.

The NYPD confirmed Hingle is a New York City Department of Education teacher.

“There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our students,” NYC Department of Education associate press secretary Jenna Lyle said in a statement provided to McClatchy News. “This alleged behavior is completely unacceptable and will be fully investigated.”

If Hingle is convicted, Lyle said the department “will pursue his termination.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Teacher accused of choking 12-year-old gets reassigned from school, NY officials say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.