A Cedar Springs High School teacher will stand trial in Circuit Court for allegedly having sex with one of his students.
63rd District Court Judge Sara Smolenski ruled on January 5 that there was enough probable cause in the case against Jon Jungkind, 44, to bind it over to the 17th Circuit Court for trial.
The student, now an 18-year-old senior, testified that she and Jungkind had sex at his home in August, after talking about her crush on him. She also said she thinks they had sex at least one other time, after a bonfire, but that she was drunk and didn’t remember the date.
The teen said that she became pregnant as a result of their sex in August, and that Jungkind bought her abortion pills to terminate the pregnancy.
Jungkind has taught at Cedar Springs since August 2003. He taught general chemistry, AP chemistry, the science of science fiction, and physics. He was also chair of the science department, and involved as an advisor in some student clubs, such as National Honor Society, and the Eco-club.
He is currently on administrative leave and his pay is being put into an escrow account. The school district filed charges against Jungkind with the state tenure commission, and if the tenure commission decides in the school’s favor, the pay will be returned to the district.