MOULTON, Ala.  — A former teacher of the year at a north Alabama high school was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a student and placed on leave, officials said Friday.

Leslie Buttram Gillespie, 44, of Hillsboro was charged with second-degree counts of rape and sodomy, news outlets reported. Gillespie, who taught English at RA Hubbard High School in Lawrence County, also was charged with two counts of being a school employee engaging in sex with a student.

Gillespie was honored as teacher of the year at RA Hubbard in 2019, school system records show. Court records were not immediately available to show whether Gillespie had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.

School officials are investigating and can’t provide details, said a statement by Superintendent Jon Bret Smith.