Bayonne police say a teacher is facing charges for assaulting a student at Bayonne High School.

Police say the incident happened on Jan. 22. They say two students were involved in an altercation inside the school.

They say that after multiple staff members intervened in the altercation, 68-year-old Joseph Mingoia struck a female student in the head with a closed hand.

Mingoia has been on administrative leave since the incident.

He was charged with simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child.