Queens Tribune

A special education teacher was arrested on Monday and charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old student at his home in Queens.

Mandi Weeks, 27, a teacher at the Devereux Foundation Red Hook campus, was accused of statutory rape and sexually abusing the mentally disabled student who attended her school. Weeks was charged with two counts of third-degree rape, three counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

“The charges are very disturbing. The victim is believed to have a 50 IQ, making him particularly vulnerable to a teacher who is supposed to have his best interest in mind,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said.

The student attended a year-round residential school for children with special needs. He was home on a break when Weeks allegedly engaged in sexual acts with the boy.

The abuse was alleged to have occurred in the student’s home and in a parking lot, both in Queens, according to prosecutors.

Weeks allegedly raped and sexually abused the 15-year-old boy on June 25, inside of his Queens home. She also allegedly sexually abused him in a car in parking lot on Sunday, then raped and sexually abused him on the same day at his home.

The investigation began on Monday when the student boarded a subway while looking for Weeks and got lost. The boy’s mother reported him missing. Police, looking for leads to the boy’s whereabouts, allegedly discovered inappropriate e-mails from Weeks while searching his computer.

“I work in a residential school for students with multiple disabilities which is extremely stressful,” Weeks wrote on her Myspace page. “My students verbally and physically assault me almost on a daily basis. And people wonder why I started smoking. Hey, at least they are ultra lights. ....as if Klonopin 3 times a day wasn’t enough.”

If convicted, Weeks faces up to four years in prison.