HOUSTON – Texas prosecutors have charged five people with felonies in an elaborate teacher certification fraud scandal. The scandal left hundreds of teachers in classrooms across the state, including parts of North Texas, without the proper qualifications.
It’s a $1 million teacher certification fraud scandal that has shocked the Texas education community, including Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson.
“It’s a shame because there are thousands of teachers across the state who have given their time,” Anderson said.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has filed charges against five members of a large teacher fraud ring that increases the number of unqualified teachers in classrooms in the Houston area and across the state.
Mr Ogg said: “The damage is not just to the education system, which is currently under great pressure, but to the families of children who attend schools who actually trust the government to educate their children.” said.
Prosecutors say Vincent Grayson, 57, a basketball coach at Houston’s Booker T. I believe they have started a system where they pay $2,500.
“At least two falsely identified sex offenders had contact with minor children on and off campus through their employment,” Ogg said.
Investigators say Grayson split some of the money between two employees at the testing center and had others take the test.
Harris County Chief Felony Prosecutor Mike Levin alleges one person who took and passed the exam was an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD.
“In fact, when he was caught red-handed in February 2024, he was logged in for one test, but on the same day the screen behind him was logged in to a different device,” Levine said. spoke.
Prosecutors believe the scheme may have locked more than 200 illegally certified teachers into classrooms since 2020, with many teachers traveling to the Houston area to obtain fake certifications. He added that he had been traveling for more than an hour.
“It just destroys that kind of trust that our community has in our public schools,” Ogg said.
Lashonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School, was also charged with recruiting about 100 teachers for the scheme.
The five defendants are charged with two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.
