32-year-old woman accused of enrolling in high school as homeless teen

NEW YORK (KTRK) -- Authorities in New York say a 32-year-old woman pretended to be a homeless teen and attempted to enroll in a high school.

Officials say the woman attended classes for one day before she was arrested.

"She shouldn't have been let in the door. Who knows who that person could've been," councilor Jason Watts said.

Residents said they were irritated at the fact that Michaelann Goodrich was able to ride a school bus and go to classes without being questioned.

"I'm just floored by it. I get goosebumps thinking about it. I can't believe no one picked up on this," Watts said.

Greene County Sheriff's Office senior investigator, Joel Rowell, says the school did everything it was supposed to, according the Federal McKinney-Vento Act.

"They were very forthcoming and very quick with the information to tell us what's going on and to assist in our investigation every way possible that they can," Greene County Sheriff's Office senior investigator, Joel Rowell, said.

Goodrich has an address in Cairo, but is originally from California and has also lived in Washington State.

Rowell says investigators need help figuring out why she did this and if she's done it before.

"We're reaching out to the parents, let us know if your child had any interaction with her and any other school districts around, we're trying to determine whether or not she tried to register with another school or not," Rowel said.

Watts says he's even more disappointed after the school passed a nearly $30 million capital project in December.

"I'm pretty mad. We pay for this security here in our school. School taxes go up every year, they do all this safety stuff. I just think it's absolutely crazy. I don't know what more to say, besides I'm amazed. I have to show my ID when I go in the school and everybody knows me," he said.

The McKinney-Vento Act, among other functions, ensures that homeless youth have equal access to public education as other children.

The suspect is charged with two felonies, including giving false information and falsifying business records.