This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. – A Lawrence county teacher was arrested and charged with several counts of having sexual contact with a student.

Lawrence County Sheriff Max Sanders says Leslie Gillespie, 44, was charged with two counts of school employee engaging in a sex act with a student under the age of 19, and one count each of rape and sodomy.

Sanders says she is a teacher at RA Hubbard High School.

On Friday afternoon, Lawrence County Superintendent Jon Bret Smith issued the following statement on the arrest:

The Lawrence County school district has been made aware that an employee has been arrested. Our school district treats this type of situation with the highest level of care. District leaders are conducting an investigation into this matter and will support law enforcement as they do the same. While the district cannot provide any specific details at this time, we want to emphasize that there is nothing more important to Lawrence County Schools than the safety and well-being of our students. The district will work diligently and expediently to resolve this situation.

Lawrence County Superintendent Jon Bret Smith

Investigators are working with the school system to thoroughly investigate. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lawrence County Sheriff’s investigators at (256) 974-2500.