22-Year-Old Man in Minnesota Enrolls as Teen to Join High School Football Team

A 22-year-old man is accused of using a false identity and lying about his age to enroll in a Minnesota high school and play on the football team, prompting students to claim that the district “failed us.”

Kelvin Luebke was arrested on Sunday after officials at White Bear Lake High School found he allegedly used fake documents to enroll as a senior, according to a report from Alpha News.

In a letter to parents on Tuesday, Principal Russell Reetz revealed that a person “over the age of 21” had bypassed the district’s security measures to become a student at the school.

“Upon our initial investigation, we have determined that while enrolling this individual, we followed our enrollment process, which is as rigorous as state law allows,” he said.

Reetz did not identify Luebke — who went by “KJ” — a student from the high school confirmed that he was the suspect in question, according to Alpha News.

The student also revealed that Luebke was on the football team’s roster.

The principal confirmed to parents that the suspect appeared “to have provided fraudulent documentation and a false identity to enroll.”

White Bear Lake High School required enrollees to submit three required documents to the school: verification of birth date (birth certificate), proof of address (driver’s license or utility bill), and immunization records.

It’s unclear what age Luebke was using on the false documents.

Reetz also assured parents that Luebke was banned from district property.

“Please rest assured that the safety and well-being of all students is our top priority. I am grateful to the staff members, families and students who saw something and decided to report it,” he wrote in the email.

The district is continuing its investigation and is working closely with White Bear Lake Police Department, Reetz said.

Luebke is currently being held in Anoka County Jail on charges of theft and lewdness, Alpha News reported.

The discovery that a grown man was posing as a high school student around teenagers has shaken parents and students

“I’m scared that they’re not keeping our kids safe. I don’t understand how this man got into my kid’s school,” parent April Jorgenson told CBS News as she broke down in tears, over the fact that Luebke allegedly was around children.

“You need to have a record and you need to have a physical to do these activities. We just can’t figure out how this happened.”

An unidentified student said they believe the “district failed us.”

“The people who were overseeing this issue and let this slip past, they need to face the consequences,” the anonymous student told the outlet.

Minnesota law states that students can legally enroll in public school any time before turning 21 — even after age 17 — as long as they live in the district and follow the rules, meaning older students can still enter high school.

Students who turn 21 midyear can usually finish the school year, if the districts allow them, and those in special education may stay until 22 if they qualify under federal law.

Last year, an adult Venezuelan migrant was arrested after he was accused of pretending to be a 16-year-old boy so he could enroll in an Ohio high school and was involved in the school’s swimming and soccer programs.

Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, 24, falsely presented himself as an unaccompanied minor and enrolled at Perrysburg High School, southwest of Toledo.

Sierra was enrolled at the school for 14 months before school officials discovered his actual age in January 2024.