BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Taunton woman who has been teaching for 18 years is accused of abusing three pre-K students with special needs in Bridgewater.

Kathryn Rousseau, 56, was arraigned Tuesday on three counts of assault and battery on a person with intellectual disability.

She pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. She was also ordered to stay away from the victims, their families, any witnesses, and Mitchell Elementary School.

On March 14, a parent of one of the 4-year-old victims told police that a staff member at the school had filed a report about Rousseau.

The staffer reported that Rousseau grabbed a child’s mouth, leaving a cut on their lip. She also allegedly grabbed the mouth of another child in the class and force-fed another, causing the child to throw up, according to police.

Rousseau told the parents that the marks were self-inflicted, police said, but witnesses claimed otherwise.

She is due back in court on May 14.

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