NJ high school teacher, 40, faces 5 years in prison after admitting to having sex with six male students, aged 14 and 15 on school grounds – Nicole DuFault recanted her initial claim that a brain injury made her ‘powerless’ to stop their ‘advances’
Former high school teacher, is facing five years in New Jersey State Prison at sentencing scheduled for June 8 after admitting improper contact with teenage male students
Nicole DuFault, 40, pled guilty to having sex with SIX male students aged 14 and 15 on school grounds and in her car, sometimes with more than one boy present
DuFault who taught language arts at Columbia High School [photo], in South Orange, NJ, for nine years, initially claimed a brain injury made her ‘powerless’ to stop ‘their advances’
The divorced mother-of-two sons entered a guilty plea on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact Wednesday
Jury selection reportedly was underway when the defendant agreed to register as a sex offender, give up her government employment and teaching licenses
She was originally accused of having sex with six male students, ages 14 and 15, from Columbia High School in 2013 and 2014
Per the plea arrangement, DuFault also will be on parole supervision for life
Digraced educator Nicole DuFault, seen [photo], during a court appearance in 2016, had blamed her behavior on a brain disorder. The former New Jersey high school teacher who was charged with having sex with six of her teen students on school grounds pled guilty on the eve of her criminal trial
A 40-year-old former New Jersey high school teacher who was charged with having sex with six of her students on school grounds , Wednesday admitted guilt to the charges in a plea deal.
On the eve of her criminal trial Nicole DuFault entered a guilty plea on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact Wednesday, as jury selection was underway, agreeing to register as a sex offender, give up her government employment and teaching licenses.
The language arts teacher was originally accused of having sex with six male students, ages 14 and 15, from Columbia High School in South Orange, in 2013 and 2014 and later blamed it on a brain disorder.
As part of the deal with the Essex County prosecutor’s office, she agreed to be on parole supervision for life and is expected to be handed a sentence of five years in New Jersey State Prison on June 8.
Nicole DuFault, 40, entered a guilty plea on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact Wednesday, admitting to having sex with six male students, ages 14 and 15, from Columbia High School in 2013 and 2014 , although he lawyers are trying to shift the blame to the school for not screening her after after brain surgery
The language arts teacher was originally accused of having sex with six male students, ages 14 and 15, from Columbia High School in 2013 and 2014 and later blamed it on a brain disorder.
Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant said: ‘We believe this is an appropriate resolution.’
The Columbia High School teacher was arrested in on September 17, 2014 and charged with multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault relating to multiple students.
Dufault, then 34, was accused of committing the sex acts on school property and in her car.
The divorced mother of two young sons had been a language arts teacher at Columbia High School for nine years. Prior to coming to Columbia High School, she taught at several other public schools in Passaic and Bergen counties, all in New Jersey.
Her contact with the boys was separate, repeated and on at least one occasion, one watched as she performed oral sex on another and filmed it with his cell phone.
As she awaited trial, the parents of her victims filed several lawsuits against her.
In some suits parents demanded up to $1million from her and the school district which they say put their sons at risk by allowing her access to some of the areas on campus where some of the incidents happened during a summer program.
DuFault taught language arts at Columbia High School [photo], in South Orange, NJ, for nine years. She was accused of having sex with six male students, ages 14 and 15, in 2013 and 2014
In one case, the parents of two underage boys banded together to file a lawsuit against Dufault and the school district in September 2016.
They were seeking damages of $1million plus lawyers’ fees to compensate the boys who they say were ‘intellectually disabled’ and ‘vulnerable’.
In one of the lawsuits, they describe how Dufault allegedly invited the boys to spend time in her classroom during free periods.
The second was filed by the parents of a former student who was a freshman when he had sex with Dufault in 2014.
Emphasizing that DuFault lewd behavior extended to having sex with the boys on campus and in her car, lawyers representing one of the families described how she ‘spoke with them about lewd and sexual actions, brushed up again their bodies and touched intimate and personal parts of their bodies in front of other students in the social group.’
She was also accused of altering her young lovers’ records to allow them to skip class and not get into trouble.
DuFault [photo], is expected to be handed a sentence of five years in New Jersey State Prison on June 8. However, along with the school district, she is facing several million dollar suits filed by aggrieved parents of victims
The third lawsuit, filed on behalf of another boy, was lodged in October this year.
It claims that he had sex with Dufault in her car in the high school parking lot. He has not specified how much he wishes to receive.
Shifting the blame Dufault’s lawyer Tim Smith previously stated: ‘You had a particularly overly aggressive group of students who came into contact with a teacher who suffered from brain damage.’
He did admit there were areas of the school where the incidents took place that were open to them and appeared to try to blame the school for the incidents themselves, claiming they never screened Dufault after a brain surgery.
‘You had a program that took place in an isolated part of the school where there was nobody there to control the situation, then you couple that with the fact that the school never screened her post-brain surgery.
Smith also claimed that ‘[DuFault] also had a home front situation that was troubled with her husband having been arrested and she was taking care of the kids herself.
‘You had a whirlwind of events that led to this victimization of her,’ he added.
A school spokesperson previously said the allegations against Dufault were ‘disturbing’.
‘The nature of the charges are the most difficult that schools, parents and children would ever have to discuss together,’ while expressing hope that the adjudication ‘process will bring closure to this painful chapter in our community’s history.
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