Principal: Adult older than 21 faked identity to enroll in White Bear Lake Area High School

Man faked identity to enroll in White Bear Lake Area High School

A person “over the age of 21” who used fake documentation to enroll in White Bear Lake Area High School is now in police custody, school officials say.

In a message sent to WBLAHS families, Principal Russell Reetz said the school began investigating after receiving reports of a student enrolled in the school who was beyond the legal age for high school.

Reetz said the school went by its usual enrollment process, “which is as rigorous as state law allows.”

“The individual appears to have provided fraudulent documentation and a false identity to enroll,” Reetz said, adding that the former student has been arrested and is banned from district property.

“How can someone even forge all of this without the school knowing?” said Micheala Ross, a parent. “Where’s the trust? How are we supposed to trust and rely that you’re actually going to take care of our kids if something like this happened?” 

It’s unclear who the student is or whether their arrest is related to the fraudulent enrollment.

Another mom told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, “I thought it was safe, you know. And clearly it’s not. If somebody can come into the school and pretend to be 17 years old and they’re 22, and this individual had spoke to my daughter and my niece, and it was just really scary. You know, you don’t know who you’re sending them to school with anymore, and you should know, and we should be able to feel safe and confident when we send them out.”
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