More than 200 teachers across the state have been falsely certified, and five Houston-area educators have been implicated in an alleged teacher certification cheating ring, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Ogg announced in a press conference on Monday afternoon that the false certifications date back as far as May 2020. The allegations came to light when a former teacher applying to become a police officer stepped forward with information that was apparently well known among teacher applicants.
However, Houston ISD spokesperson Alexandra Elizondo said that the district was not aware of the alleged cheating ring until it was notified by police shortly before the arrest of three of its educators.
The alleged ring involved two proctors from the Houston Training and Education Center and TACTIX, two HISD assistant principals, and one HISD teacher and basketball coach. The ring allegedly raked in over $1 million in profits by charging applicants for providing an impersonator to take the exam for them.
Vincent Grayson, 57, a teacher and coach at William T. Booker High School in Houston, was the alleged ringleader of the cheating scheme. Investigators said that teacher applicants paid him $2,500 each, and he would then forward about 20% of that to the proctors at the testing centers to allow the cheating to take place.
Grayson would allegedly instruct the applicants where and when to report for the testing, and they would show their I.D., sign in, and then leave. Shortly thereafter, a proxy would come in, sit in their seat, and take the test on their behalf.
Proctors Tywana Gilford Mason, 51, and Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22, both allegedly took bribes to allow the cheating to occur at the respective testing sites where they were employed.
Nicholas Newton, 35, an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School, was the alleged proxy test-taker.
LaShonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School, allegedly recruited teacher applicants to participate in the cheating scheme.
The main testing center where the scheme took place was shut down last year due to “suspicious activity,” according to Harris County Assistant D.A. Mike Levine.
“Numerous teacher certification candidates seem to fit the same criteria where they would drive from far-flung cities, sometimes from Dallas-Fort Worth or farther. Often, these people had previously failed one or more attempts at the certification exam,” Levine said at the press conference. “They then drove, sometimes four or more hours, to the Houston area and suddenly they were passing the test with flying colors.”
Elizondo said the school district is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, and the three HISD educators have been relieved of their duties.
“Additionally, if it is determined that any teachers currently working in HISD participated in this scheme or passed their certification exams fraudulently, we will take swift action to terminate their employment with the District,” Elizondo said.
