A recent incident in New Brunswick, New Jersey has raised questions about the enrollment process for public schools. A 29-year-old woman, Hyejeong Shin, has been charged with one count of providing a false government document with the intent to verify her identity or age. Shin allegedly submitted a fake birth certificate indicating she was 15 years old to the New Brunswick Board of Education to enroll in New Brunswick High School. The New Brunswick Police Department stated in a news release that Shin spent four days at the school before officials discovered her true age.
The motive behind Shin’s actions is currently under investigation. Superintendent Dr. Aubrey Johnson discussed the news in a board meeting held on Tuesday night and stated that Shin was found out after four days and was immediately barred from entering district property. Johnson also advised all students, especially those who encountered Shin, to avoid any contact with her, either remotely or in person.
New Jersey schools have a policy of immediately enrolling all children, even if they don’t have records to verify their identity. This rule is in place to ensure that undocumented immigrants and students without traditional paperwork are able to enroll in school. Once enrolled, students are given 30 days to provide additional proof of identity and address.
Shin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Chinese in 2019 and was listed as a learning community scholar at Rutgers’ Institute for Research on Women in the fall semester of 2017. According to her bio on the school’s website, she was interested in language and linguistics and how they affect human identity and culture, as well as understanding humanitarian issues in global society.
Shin is expected to appear in Middlesex County Superior Court for a hearing on Feb. 16. This incident has sparked a conversation about the enrollment process for public schools and the measures that need to be taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. It raises the question of whether schools should be taking additional steps to verify the identities of students enrolling in their schools, especially when it comes to enrolling students without traditional paperwork.
In conclusion, the 29-year-old woman’s actions have raised concerns about the enrollment process in New Jersey public schools and the need for measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. It highlights the importance of verifying the identities of students enrolling in public schools to ensure their safety and the safety of other students.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]