NJ teens jam wi-fi at school to get students out of exams, cops say

SECAUCUS — Two high school freshmen have been charged with jamming their school's Wi-Fi to get out of taking exams.

Administrators at Secaucus High School notified Secaucus Police on Thursday about the scheme, and the 14-year-old boys were each charged with computer criminal activity and conspiracy to commit computer criminal activity, and released to their parents.

The Wi-Fi disruption became an issue because much of the school's daily lessons are done online and involve the use of Chromebooks. Students told NJ.com the two took requests from other students to use an app that would create extra traffic on the school's network and make it unusable.

Superintendent Jennifer Montesano told NJ.com that the school's Wi-Fi is now running normally. About 600 students attend the school.

Students in Jersey City and Elizabeth were charged earlier this year with accessing their respective district servers and changing grades. The punishments for those students were not disclosed because they are juveniles, but Elizabeth public school Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer said the consequences for those involved in her district are "likely to be severe."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

More from New Jersey 101.5: