A Maplewood teacher accused of having sex with half a dozen of her students pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact, officials said Thursday.

Former Columbia High School teacher Nicole Dufault, 40, entered a guilty plea as jury selection was underway, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Dufault was arrested in September 2014 and charged with multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault relating to multiple students.

Authorities say the boys were between 14 and 15 years old at the time of the incidents, which occurred between 2013 and 2014.

She was accused of committing the sex acts on school property and in her car. Dufault had been a language arts teacher at Columbia High School for nine years. Before coming to Columbia High School, she taught at several other public schools in Passaic and Bergen counties, Stephens said.

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Dufault is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8, and the state plans to recommend that she be sentenced to five years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, she must forfeit her government employment, give up her teaching licenses and register as a sex offender pursuant to Megan’s Law, and she will be subject to parole supervision for life.

Katie Sobko is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: sobko@northjersey.com Twitter: @katesobko