A 32-year-old woman who worked for the state of Massachusetts fraudulently enrolled as a student at several Boston high schools using fake IDs and paperwork this school year, officials said Tuesday.
The woman, who has not been identified, “has been released and ordered to stay away from Boston public schools,” BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said in a letter to the school community.
At various times during the 2022-2023 school year, the woman attended Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Brighton High School and English High School while using the transfer student process and enrolling under multiple aliases , according to Skipper.
Last week, a Boston Public Schools staff member noticed irregularities in the documents on file and reported them to the principals, “who immediately contacted the Boston police,” Skipper said.
Boston 25 was also able to confirm that the woman in question previously worked for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families from December 2021 to February 2023.
“Although the investigation is in its early stages and is ongoing, school officials have not identified any incidents of harm to students or staff,” Skipper said. “At this time, families of students who may have interacted with this individual are being contacted directly by school staff and investigators.”
In a separate statement on the matter, Skipper called the incident a “breach of trust.”
“I am deeply troubled that an adult would violate the trust of our school communities by impersonating a student,” Skipper said. “This appears to be an extremely sophisticated case of fraud. As soon as BPS staff identified irregularities in the student’s enrollment, the matter was referred to Boston police who are currently undertaking a criminal investigation. I am grateful to the BPS staff who understood this and acted quickly and to the Boston police for launching an immediate investigation.
An investigation into the woman’s alleged actions and how she was able to enlist is still ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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