A 39-year-old teacher accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student in Queens was arrested on rape charges Monday, the NYPD says.
The teacher, Joy Morsi, was charged with third-degree rape and a third-degree criminal sexual act in connection with the alleged abuse, police say.
Information on where and when the alleged abuse occurred wasn’t available, and it isn’t clear if Morsi was the student’s teacher.
Police say Morsi was arrested after the student with whom she allegedly had a relationship told a friend, and that friend told a parent, who alert school officials. Authorities say the 16-year-old student had a sexually explicit video in his possession that is being investigated.
The city Department of Education said that administrators pulled Morsi from the classroom immediately after learning of the allegations.
“We find these claims disturbing and reprehensible and she will remain reassigned – far from any student and the school – pending a criminal investigation,” the DOE said in a statement.
Attorney information for Morsi wasn’t immediately available.
Students told NBC 4 New York she was a gym teacher at the school and ran a boot camp on Saturdays.
-Brynn Gingras contributed to this report