Five people in Texas have been charged in connection with an alleged fraudulent teacher certification scheme, which prosecutors say was used to improperly certify hundreds of unqualified teachers to work in local school districts throughout the state.
At a press conference on Monday led by the Harris county district attorney, Kim Ogg, prosecutors said the alleged scheme generated at least a million dollars and was used to certify more than 200 unqualified teachers who are currently or have previously worked in Texas public schools.
The alleged scheme was done by having impersonators take the tests on behalf of the applicants, alongside a corrupt testing proctor who was allegedly bribed, prosecutors said. They said that proctor allowed the applicants and the proxy test taker to switch places.
Prosecutors also said that at least 400 fraudulent tests were taken, and that the scheme dates back to 2020.
Allegedly orchestrated by Vincent Grayson, the head basketball coach at Booker T Washington high school in the Houston independent school district, prosecutors said the scheme involved four others.
Individuals, prosecutors said, typically paid Grayson $2,500 and he would then bribe the certifying official at the testing center, giving her about 20% of the $2,500 to allow the cheating. The candidates would then allegedly enter the testing center, provide their identification to a cooperating employee, and leave while the proxy completed the exams in their place.
Each of the five individuals allegedly involved in the scheme has been charged with two felony counts of engaging in organized criminal activity, and faces up to 20 years in prison.
On Monday, Ogg also said that among the hundreds of people who allegedly paid to fraudulently become a certified teacher, at least two were sexual predators, “who, once falsely certified, had access through their employment to underage kids on campus and off”.
One had been charged with indecency with a child, and another with online solicitation, Ogg said, adding: “It was the access through the certification that was false that allowed them to commit the crimes.”
She said: “The damage is not just to the education system which is under great duress right now, but it’s actually to the families of the children who go to those schools, who trust our government to educate their kids and to keep them safe for eight hours.”
At the news conference, Mike Levine, a felony chief in the DA office’s public corruption division, said that in most school districts in the state, a certification is required after a certain period. This certification, he said, can open doors to better job opportunities and higher salaries.
In a statement on Monday to the Texas Tribune, a Texas education agency spokesperson, Jake Kobersky, wrote that the department “will review any and all information shared by law enforcement and pursue appropriate action against any educator involved in this scheme”.
The state board of educator certification will decide on any punishment, Kobersky said.
Two of the five were arrested and later released on bond on Monday, and one other was arrested on Monday and remains in custody, according to NBC News.
Grayson and two assistant principals appeared in court on Tuesday, according to Click 2 Houston, which reported that they had also been fired.
One of the assistant principals, LaShonda Roberts, who is accused of recruiting and referring people to the alleged scheme and who allegedly sent Grayson over $260,000, denied the charges through a lawyer.
Brandon G Leonard, an attorney for Roberts, described the accusations to NBC News as “simply unsubstantiated claims” adding that “we will aggressively defend against these baseless charges. Ms Roberts looks forward to her day in court, where we’re confident the truth will come to light.”
