SCHOOL’S OUT

Prosecutors Say Woman, 28, Posed as High Schooler

Her classmates said she made them feel “uncomfortable.”

A 28-year-old woman maintained a fake identity and enrolled at a New York City high school, prosecutors have alleged. Kacy Claassen, using the name Shamara Rashad, enrolled at Westchester Square Academy in the Bronx last month. She allegedly told the principal that she was just 16 and had just moved to New York from Ohio with her sister. As a fake student, Claassen shared hallways and bathrooms with her peers, more than 10 years her junior. Students at the high school told the student newspaper, the Bronx River News, that they recalled Claassen telling them that she was “hiding bodies,” which made them uncomfortable. “School is supposed to be the safest place besides home,” one student said. “If we can’t guarantee safety, then what can we guarantee?” Prosecutors have said that the principal eventually came across Claassen’s Facebook page, which included her actual name and date of birth. The principal then confronted her, to which she allegedly told him, “I lied about my identity because my friend forced me to. She was using me to receive more public assistance.” Claassen is facing several charges, including endangering the welfare of a child, criminal impersonation, and criminal trespassing. She has pleaded not guilty.