A Massachusetts teacher, Lissa Lagasse, has been arrested and faces multiple charges after allegedly using fake college degrees and a military award to get teaching jobs. Authorities began reviewing her background after an incident involving her service animal. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office has charged the 57-year-old Lowell resident with identity fraud, pretending to hold degrees, reckless endangerment of a child, and other offenses, according to NBC Boston.
The Essex County Grand Jury returned 21 indictments against Lissa Lagasse, who had been employed as a science teacher in several districts including Lowell, Worcester, and Haverhill. Her fraudulent claims included advanced academic credentials and being a retired military combat veteran with a Purple Heart. These revelations came to light after Haverhill Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Marotta stated that "Ms. Lagasse held a valid teaching license, and standard reference checks were completed with her previous school districts, with no concerns reported," however, following the investigation caused by the service animal incident, she was placed on administrative leave, as reported by Boston 25 News.
Lissa Lagasse pleaded not guilty at Salem Superior Court and was held on $25,000 bail. If released, she must remain under home confinement with GPS monitoring. She is facing charges including identity fraud, endangering a child, and falsely claiming college degrees and military honors. Her next court date is set for July 28. Her brother-in-law, Michael Lagasse, told Boston 25 News, “Most of the family I would have to say really doesn’t trust her that much, I’m not sure if I trust her that much but she tries, she tries to makes things work, she works hard, she just has a way of doing things that most of us are not aware of,” as mentioned by Boston 25 News.
