Pat Dollard | Young Americans

NEW YORK - A teacher faces charges that she raped a mentally disabled student, prosecutors said Thursday.

Mandi Weeks, 27, is charged in a criminal complaint with third-degree rape, criminal sexual act, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to prosecutors in Queens.

Authorities said the 15-year-old boy was abused while he was home on break from Devereux New York, a residential school for children with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders in upstate Red Hook. Weeks had been a teacher there since February 2007. The boy was believed to have an IQ or intelligence quotient of 50; average IQ is 85.

Prosecutors said the boy was the victim of statutory rape at his Queens home. He also was abused while sitting in a car in a Queens parking lot on July 6.

The investigation began after the boy got on a subway looking for Weeks and got lost. His mother reported him missing to police, who discovered inappropriate e-mails from Weeks while going through the boy’s computer in search of leads.

Weeks has been fired and will not be permitted back on campus, school officials said Thursday. She had been screened before she was hired, but there was nothing to indicate any problem or concerns, officials said.

“The Devereux staff is shocked and saddened by such a charge. The welfare of our students is our top priority,” said John O’Keefe, executive director of the school. “We will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials, and we are reviewing our internal policies and procedures in order to assure the safety and security of those we serve.”

Weeks, who was arraigned Tuesday, will appear in court again Aug. 11.

Her attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

(AP)