A 29-year-old woman, Hyejeong Shin, was arrested in northern New Jersey for using a fake birth certificate to enroll in a local high school. Shin faces a single, third-degree charge for providing a false government document with intent to verify age or identity.
She is accused of using a forged birth certificate to attend classes at the high school as a juvenile student. The New Jersey state laws and education department recommendations allow schools to immediately enroll unaccompanied children, even without proof of guardianship or the required records for enrollment.
The New Brunswick Police Department stated in a news release that an unaccompanied child or youth can be immediately enrolled in school without the need for proof of guardianship. The school district might request documents such as a birth certificate to verify the child’s age, but they cannot prevent or discourage a child from enrolling in or attending school due to lack of a birth certificate or records indicating a foreign place of birth.
The administration of New Brunswick High School sent out a letter to inform students of Shin’s arrest and accusations against her, which included her picture. According to CBS New York, Shin only attended classes with other students for four days. Some students were surprised by her arrest, with one student saying, “She was pretending to be a freshman, which is more surprising because I don’t believe she looks like a freshman.” Another student reported that Shin had sent text messages to classmates asking to “hang out.”
According to a student at New Brunswick High School, the woman arrested for allegedly enrolling as a student at the school, Hyejeong Shin, had reached out to some of her classmates asking to hang out. One student said, “It’s scary because you never know what could happen.” The parents of students at the school are also concerned, with one mother stating she was worried about how Shin was able to enroll and attend classes without being detected. The school district is currently reviewing their enrollment process to find ways to better identify false documents in the future. The police investigation is ongoing.