A 28-year-old woman has been arrested after allegedly pretending to be 16 and enrolling at a high school in the Bronx, New York City. Kacy Claassen pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal impersonation and trespassing on 28 April, the day after her arrest, according to Bronx court records.
Prosecutors allege that Claassen enrolled at Westchester Square Academy on 13 April using the false name Shamara Rashad and claiming a birth date in 2010. She reportedly told the school principal that she had just moved from Ohio, but her deception unravelled when the principal confronted her with a social media page revealing her true age and identity.
Investigators said Claassen confessed, stating that a friend had persuaded her to lie in order to receive more public assistance. Police arrested her at the school, and she was later released without needing to post bail pending further proceedings. Her next court appearance is tentatively scheduled for 15 June.
A spokesperson for New York City’s public school system condemned the incident, saying: 'Enrolment fraud is a serious crime that fundamentally undermines our values.' They added that the police are actively investigating and pursuing appropriate legal action, and that support is being provided to the school community.
The case is the latest in a series of similar incidents in the United States, echoing plots from films like Never Been Kissed. In 2023, a 29-year-old woman in New Jersey was accused of fraudulently enrolling in a high school, and in 2019 a man in his mid-20s gained admission to a Dallas high school under a false name, later receiving probation for records tampering and sexual misconduct.
