Bridgewater teacher accused of abusing 3 Pre-K students
BRIDGEWATER - A Taunton woman who has been a teacher for 18 years is accused of abusing three Pre-K students with special needs in Bridgewater.
Investigators say it was a parent from Mitchell Elementary School who came to them a week and a half ago with concerns about their 4-year-old's teacher. The parent had allegedly been told by a school staffer that the staffer had reported Kathryn Rousseau to the Department of Children and Families.
The staffer claimed Rousseau, 56, had grabbed a child's mouth, leaving a cut on the child's lip. It is alleged that Rousseau grabbed the mouth of an additional child in the class, and allegedly force fed another causing them to vomit.
According to police, Rousseau told parents the marks were self-inflicted, but the incidents were witnessed.
Rousseau, who lives in Taunton, has been charged with three counts of Assault and Battery on a Person with Intellectual Disabilities.
In a message home to parents, Bridgewater Superintendent of Schools Ryan T. Powers said, "These allegations and charges are unsettling. The district is fully committed to the well-being of our students and staff."
Bridgewater Police arrested Rousseau at her Taunton home. She was arraigned in Brockton and will be back in court May 14. She has been ordered to stay away and have no contact with the victims or their families, the witnesses, and to stay away from the Mitchell Elementary School.
