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Bronx Woman, 28, Charged After Posing as 16-Year-Old at High School

The investigation now tests how well New York City schools verify student identities.

SLUG: AA-Grads DATE: June 7, 2007 CREDIT: James M. Thresher / The Washington Post. Upper Marlboro, MD SUBJECT: Annapolis High School graduation at Show Place Arena, girls in white, boys in blue. 191453 (Photo by James M. Thresher/The The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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A woman opens a school locker in this illustration. A 28-year-old woman was recently arrested after allegedly posing as a student as an NYC high school.

Overview

  • Claassen attended Westchester Square Academy for about two weeks after enrolling April 13, then police arrested her on campus April 27 and a judge set a June 15 court date after her arraignment.
  • Prosecutors say she used the name “Shamara Rashad,” claimed to be 16 and from Ohio, until the principal matched her to a Facebook page that showed her real age.
  • She faces charges that include criminal impersonation, trespass, and endangering the welfare of a child, with some reports also listing possession of a forged instrument.
  • The principal’s tip led to a brief campus “hold” during the arrest, and students on the co‑located Bronx campus said the incident shook their sense of safety.
  • NYC Schools says the NYPD probe is active and the district is reviewing enrollment checks, a step that could tighten verification methods such as ID reviews and social media scans.