Bridgewater special education teacher accused of assaulting 3 young students with disabilities

Kathryn Rousseau, who worked as an educator at Mitchell Elementary School, pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault and battery on a person with intellectual disabilities.

A special education teacher allegedly abused three pre-K students at a Bridgewater elementary school by grabbing their mouths, force feeding one to the point of vomiting, the Plymouth County DA announced Tuesday.

Kathryn Rousseau, 56, of Taunton, pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault and battery on a person with intellectual disabilities.

Earlier this month, the DA’s office said, a staff member at the Mitchell Elementary School in the Bridgewater Raynham School District filed a report against Rousseau with the state’s Department of Children and Families. She allegedly had cut a child’s lip when she grabbed their mouth.

A parent of a 4-year-old told Bridgwater police about the report, and the department began investigating, the DA’s office said. Rousseau was placed on administrative leave before being arrested at her home Tuesday.

Police found that Rousseau grabbed the mouth of another student in the class and force fed another, who then vomited. Rousseau also lied about the incidents and told parents in notes home that the marks were self-inflicted, the DA said. According to the DA, other staff members at the elementary school saw the incidents.

Rousseau has worked as a special needs teacher since 2002 in Attleboro and Bridgewater. According to Rousseau’s LinkedIn, she began working with intensive special needs students between the ages of 3 and 5 in the Bridgewater-Raynham School District in 2005.

Rousseau was released from custody after her arraignment Tuesday. She was ordered to stay away from her workplace and any of the victims and their families. The investigation is ongoing, and she is expected to reappear in court in May.