Police: Teacher did not report student’s alleged rape

During the investigation, it was learned that the alleged victim had informed Mercon of the incident in a written note because "she didn't want to say it out loud," the affidavit said.

Mercon told her it was too late to report the incident to police, and in the presence of the victim and a friend burned the note in a science lab, the affidavit said.

County District Attorney Risa Ferman said Mercon had a legal obligation to report the rape allegation.

"The most basic purpose of child abuse reporting requirements is the protection of children," she said. "Under the law, teachers have special legal obligations to report suspected abuse. The charges filed today reflect a serious failure to protect a teenage girl by a person she trusted."

The school's principal said that last year he had informed teachers of such responsibilities.

Mercon was arraigned before District Judge Catherine M. Hummel-Fried and charged with failure to report suspected child abuse.

Mercon's attorney, Marc Neff, of Philadelphia, said, "It is an unusual case."

"We're going through the documents and investigating," he said. "We will do our due diligence and try to sort this out."

The school district said that it "does not comment on matters involving specific employees or students at the allegation stage," but would do "everything in its power to cooperate with this investigation."

The preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 19.