Woman Accused Of Fraudulently Enrolling In 3 Boston Schools ID'd

BOSTON, MA — The adult woman from Boston who was accused of using several fake names to enroll in multiple local high schools this year has been identified and is facing charges, according to multiple reports.

A criminal complaint filed Tuesday in the West Roxbury Division of Boston Municipal Court that was obtained by the Boston Globe show that Shelby Hewitt, 32, of Canton, is facing charges of identity fraud and forgery after being accused of faking records in order to attend Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Brighton High School, and English High School this year.

According to the outlet, Hewitt has not yet been arrested but police have requested an arrest warrant.

Hewitt worked as a social worker for the Department of Children and Families on and off between 2016 and February 2023, NBC Boston reported.

According to a police incident report obtained by Patch, English High School staff became suspicious after a man told them he was withdrawing his “daughter” due to bullying and transferring her to another school, though she had just been enrolled on June 8 and the bullying had only just been addressed earlier that morning.

When staff asked the district for the student's paperwork, they found an incorrect phone number for the Department of Children and Families and the name of a supposed social worker who did not actually work for the department, the report said.

There have been no confirmed cases of students or staff being harmed in connection with the woman's enrollment and the woman no longer attends any of the schools, officials told the Boston Globe earlier this month.

Mary Skipper, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, called the situation a case of "extremely sophisticated fraud" in a letter to families earlier this month, adding that she is "deeply troubled that an adult would breach the trust of our school communities by posing as a student."

WCVB spoke with Hewitt's father, who reportedly said she was receiving treatment now for mental health problems.

Patch reached out to the Boston Municipal Court for more information.