A 28-year-old woman enrolled at Hahnville High School and attended class during the 2022-2023 school year while posing as a 17-year-old student, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office.
The woman, Martha Jessenia Gutierrez Serrano, and her mother, Marta Elizabeth Serrano Alvarado, 46, were arrested Tuesday and booked with one count of injuring public records, the Sheriff's Office said.
Administrators with the St. Charles Parish School System received a tip that a female student believed to be 17 may have actually been in her mid-20s, according to authorities.
The district conducted an internal investigation and reached out the Sheriff's Office on May 29. The school year ended May 25.
Detectives determined that Marta Serrano used a fraudulent passport and birth certificate to register and enroll her daughter at the school, according to the department. The Sheriff's Office did not say what name Martha Gutierrez used while attending the school.
It's not clear if authorities suspect anything else untoward occurred during Gutierrez's illegal academic year.
The school system released the following statement Tuesday evening:
"St. Charles Parish Public Schools notified the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office that fraudulent documents were used to enroll an over-aged female student at Hahnville High School during the 2022-2023 school year. The school system will enhance processes to determine the authenticity of enrollment documents for current and future students as well as modify policy and procedures as warranted.
As this is an ongoing investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office, no further information or specifics may be shared at this time."