Lady Gaga imitation goes wrong in New Jersey

A New Jersey school employee was in trouble after telling students they were being treated to an online chat with pop star Lady Gaga but substituted an impersonator instead, authorities said on Thursday.

The elementary school employee in Tenafly, across the Hudson River from New York City, had promised students the celebrity would give an anti-bullying talk via the Internet last month, officials said.

"Knowing how disappointed the children would be, without authorization the staff developer made arrangements for an impersonator to take Lady Gaga's place -- a clear lapse in judgment," Lynn Trager, superintendent of Tenafly public schools, said in a letter to parents.

Trying to keep up the illusion, the fake Lady Gaga told the students her webcam was broken and she could only interact via a text-based chat programme.

The employee also handed out signed photographs of the singer, and the ruse was exposed when a student noticed the autographs were forged, she said.

"Although her actions were inexcusable, I do believe that this was a misguided attempt to reward the children" after they had prepared for a test, the letter said.

Trager said "appropriate action" was taken against the employee for violating the school's "highest moral standards of honesty and integrity" but she would not provide any details since it was a personnel matter.

Lady Gaga, who has risen to worldwide fame with such hits as "Born This Way," often speaks out against discrimination and bullying, saying she was a victim at school.

"She had no knowledge of this and is currently discussing plans to do something with the school, but nothing has been solidified yet," Holly Shakoor, a spokesperson for Lady Gaga, said in an email to Reuters.