A 28-year-old woman and her mother were arrested Tuesday on one count each of injuring public records after the police say the former was posing as a 17-year-old and fraudulently enrolled at Hahnville High School.
Detectives with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested 46-year-old Marta Elizeth Serrano-Alvarado and her daughter Martha Jessenia Gutierrez-Serrano. The two reside in the 200 block of South Kinler Street in Boutte.
On Monday, detectives were notified by St. Charles Parish Public Schools officials of a possible adult attending Hahnville High during the 2022-2023 school year. School administration received a tip that a female student, who was on record as being 17 years old, was in fact an adult possibly in her mid 20’s. Within less than two days, those facts were confirmed by the school district, said St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne, and the findings shared with police.
Detectives learned Gutierrez-Serrano’s mother, Serrano-Alvarado had enrolled her in school using a fraudulent passport and birth certificate, according to police.
Champagne and public schools Superintendent Dr. Ken Oertling addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the situation.
Champagne said there have been many questions from concerned community members, he would caution that the situation was not “the crime of the century” and that the woman’s motivation stemmed from a desire to learn English. He said Wednesday’s presser was primarily to alleviate the concerns of those speculating within the community.
“Parents want to know if (the intent of the two women) was something nefarious … based upon everything we know, the answer is no,” Champagne said. “In school, she minded her own business, did her school work, violated no laws and caused no problems.
“But whether it was her decision or her mother’s decision, it doesn’t matter who you are … you can’t provide falsified documentation to try and enroll in an American high school. There are other options available, GED programs available … maybe not as convenient as a public high school two miles away, but they’re available and certainly all are a much better option than falsifying a public document.”
Champagne said the woman entered the U.S. in 2021 and that her appearance “could very easily be taken for a young teen, without a doubt” at face value. He added that the mother had been in the U.S. for a number of years.
The women were booked upon arrest but have since been released on bond.
Oertling said that it was reported to the district that a student enrolled at the school was older than the maximum allowed age and that upon learning that, an investigation was launched.
As result of the situation, the school district is conducting audits of documentation for all students currently enrolled in the St. Charles Parish public schools. He added the district is reviewing policy and procedures and will make necessary adjustments based on the review, as well as provide additional training requirements for employees to recognize signs of potentially fraudulent documents.
He said school district policies and procedures were followed by employees when registering Gutierrez. She was placed in the ninth grade as is protocol when a student has no prior transcripts submitted.
Sheriff’s Office public information officer Amanda Pertuis said Gutierrez-Serrano enrolled in Hahnville High School on June 18, 2022, and attended all year.
Gutierrez-Serrano was not involved in any extracurricular activities, and the Sheriff’s Office is not aware of any disciplinary issues while she attended the school, Pertuis said. She utilized school transportation to and from school.
Pertuis also noted there is no current evidence of any other criminal activity or inappropriate conduct by either Serrano-Alvarado or Gutierrez-Serrano.
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