(Courtesy of Nashua Patch) Bridgette Doucette-Howell, 38, of Merrimack

BRENTWOOD — A highly-regarded special education teacher, credited with launching a series of individualized after school programs and other initiatives while teaching at the RSEC school in Amherst, is facing felony charges accusing her of sexually assaulting a student a year ago in two Rockingham County school districts.

According to indictments handed up by a grand jury for Rockingham County Superior Court, Bridgette Doucette-Howell, 38, of 4 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, was recently charged with three counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault — position of authority, all special felonies, and one count of felonious sexual assault, a Class B felony.

Two of the ASFA counts and the FSA count accuse Howell of sexually assaulting and kissing a student in Kingston, while the other AFSA count stems from similar allegations in Exeter, according to the indictments.

The alleged acts occurred between April 26 and May 13, 2021.

Howell subsequently waived arraignment on the charges and was granted personal recognizance bail.

Conditions of bail prohibit her from having any contact with the alleged victim and from having any unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18, with the exception of her own children, according to her case file.

Howell is next due in court on May 24 for a dispositional conference.

Her teacher-of-the-year nomination came during Howell’s three-year stint at RSEC — Regional Services and Education Center Academy — in Amherst.

Reporting by Nashua Patch was used in this story.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.