NEW YORK (AP) — A 28-year-old woman impersonated a student at a New York City high school for two weeks until educators became suspicious and police arrested her, according to a criminal complaint.
Kacy Claassen enrolled at the Westchester Square Academy in the Bronx on April 13, claiming she was a 16-year-old girl named Shamara Rashad, according to the complaint prepared by a city police officer.
But the school principal found her Facebook page and learned her real name and age, police said. When the principal confronted her, she maintained that she was Rashad and had come to New York from Ohio with her sister, according to the complaint.
But when he showed her a screenshot of her Facebook page, Claassen admitted who she really was and said a friend forced her to lie about her identity to use her to receive more public assistance, the complaint said.
Claassen was charged on April 27 with criminal impersonation and trespassing. She was arraigned in court the next day and ordered to return on June 15.
A message seeking comment was sent to an email address listed for Claassen in public records. Her lawyer, Joseph Hayes Rochman, did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday.
City school officials issued a statement about Claassen’s arrest saying, “Enrollment fraud is a serious crime that fundamentally undermines New York City Public School values. The NYPD is actively investigating these allegations and will pursue all appropriate legal action against those responsible. We are providing all necessary and suitable support to the school community.”
Marques Rich, principal of Westchester Square Academy, did not immediately return a message left for him on the school’s website Wednesday.
On the day of Claassen’s arrest at the school, everyone there was put on a hold, meaning they had to stay inside classrooms and offices until the hold was canceled, according to the student newspaper of another school on the same campus, Bronx River High School.
School officials said they would be reviewing their enrollment procedures and safeguards to ensure that student information is thoroughly verified, the newspaper reported.
Public records and Claassen’s Facebook page show she used to live in Hays, Kansas.