NEW ULM — A former New Ulm teacher was sentenced to two years of supervised probation this week related to punishment of a student in 2021.
Eric Dennis Kauffmann, 50, had his sentencing hearing Monday in Brown County District Court after pleading guilty to a gross misdemeanor for malicious punishment of a child not causing substantial bodily harm. Two misdemeanors for assault and disorderly conduct were dismissed.
The incident occurred in October 2021 during a physical education class at New Ulm High School. A criminal complaint states Kauffman grabbed a student by the ankles and picked her up after she fell off a bench — the student reportedly wasn’t physically harmed.
Kauffman will have his charge dismissed upon successful completion of probation. Judge Robert A. Docherty also sentenced him to 40 hours of community service.