On December 20, 2018, Riley Madison rode the bus to and from Cairo-Durham High School in Cairo, New York. It was the 15-year-old student’s first day attending classes at the district, and it would also be her last. Why? Because 15-year-old Riley Madison is really 32-year-old Michaelann Goodrich.
After failing to come to class after the one day she was there, Goodrich was found, identified, and arrested on the 28th. She was ultimately charged with offering a false instrument for filing, falsifying business records, and criminal trespassing, WNYT reported.
This raises a couple of concerning questions. For one, how on earth could the school’s administration be fooled into believing that Goodrich, the woman pictured above, was not even of legal age to drive? Secondly, how was she able to enroll into the district so easily?
Apparently, while still under the guise of Goodrich’s ploy, the district believed they were following the law. In addition to posing as a teen, the woman also claimed to be homeless. Under a federal law called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (which was passed in 1987 to ensure homeless students received opportunities equal to more fortunate students), the district was required to immediately enroll Goodrich, even if she had not provided proper documentation.
“It was kind of unnerving,” Joshua Mack, who has a daughter in Cairo-Durham Middle School, told WYNT. “It could have been anybody. You know, you hear about school shootings, and all that. It could have been anybody coming in here trying to get plans of the school. I mean, obviously, that wasn’t the case, but it could have been.”
Following this bizarre incident, the only thing leaving local authorities scratching their heads is just why Goodrich committed this act.
“She could have gone in numerous different ways to obtain a degree and we actually found out through the investigation that she has a high school diploma,” Joel Rowell, a senior investigator with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, told WNYT. “So, that just leads to our investigation and to try to figure out what exactly her motive was for attending school.”
She did not need a high school diploma. She, allegedly, had no intention of committing gun violence. She only attended class and used the school’s provided transportation for one day. So, what is the deal?
What do you think? Do you think that Goodrich has a sinister agenda that she is not letting on? Furthermore, should the Cairo-Durham district be held responsible or were they just following the law? Let us know in the comments below?