Woman, 28, Arrested for Posing as Bronx High School Student

A 28-year-old woman was arrested after posing as a 16-year-old student at a Bronx high school for two weeks, authorities said in a criminal complaint.

Kacy Claassen enrolled at Westchester Square Academy on April 13 under the name Shamara Rashad, claiming she had moved from Ohio with her sister, according to the complaint filed by a New York Police Department officer. School principal Marques Rich grew suspicious and discovered her real identity and age through her Facebook page. When confronted with a screenshot of the page, Claassen initially denied the findings but then admitted her true identity. She told the principal that a friend had forced her to lie about her age to help obtain more public assistance benefits, police said.

Officers arrested Claassen at the school on April 27 and charged her with criminal impersonation and trespassing. She was arraigned the following day and ordered to return to court on June 15. Public records indicate Claassen, whose lawyer Joseph Hayes Rochman did not immediately respond to requests for comment, previously lived in Hays, Kansas.

The incident prompted a hold-in-place order at the school, requiring students and staff to remain in...