School Climate & Safety News in Brief

Youth Poses as Lawmaker on Tour of High School

By The Associated Press — March 08, 2016 1 min read
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A teenager posing as a state senator toured a high school and spoke to a class, and school officials didn’t realize they were fooled until weeks later, authorities in Ohio say.

Mohawk district officials said Izaha Akins of Marion, Ohio, visited the high school in December and claimed to be a lawmaker replacing another senator. They realized they’d been duped when Republican Sen. David Burke showed up to speak weeks later, as scheduled.

Akins said he was making a point about school security in small communities. He was charged recently with felony counts of telecommunications fraud and impersonating a peace officer.

Police said no one at the school was in any danger, and district officials said the school system now takes extra steps to verify visitors’ identities.

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A version of this article appeared in the March 09, 2016 edition of Education Week as Youth Poses as Lawmaker on Tour of High School

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