Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media
The day felony charges were announced against five teachers accused of running an illegal cheating scheme for teaching certificates, three of the five suspects made their first appearance in court.
Vincent Grayson, 57, Nicolas Newton, 35, LaShonda Roberts, 39, Gilford Mason, 51, and Darian Wilhite, 22, have each been charged with two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity, according to court documents.
Grayson was the head boys basketball coach and a teacher at HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School, he is also accused of being the organizer of the scheme. Newton was the assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School. Roberts was the assistant principal at HISD’s Yates High School. Mason is the former director of the Houston Training and Education Center. Wilhite was a proctor at a TACTIX testing center.
News of the alleged teacher certification cheating ring broke on Monday when Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced via a press conference that her office had uncovered the scheme. According to Ogg, at least 200 Texas teachers are believed to have been falsely certified.
“A former coach applying as a police officer in a different part of Texas had an attack of conscience and came forward with a scheme that was apparently well-known among teacher applicants wanting to be certified,” Ogg said on Monday.
On Tuesday, a Harris County Grand Jury officially indicted the five suspects, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Office.
According to court documents, teachers would pay $2,500 to have someone else take their certification test for them. This certification is required to teach in the majority of Texas counties and can usually be taken as many times as needed in order to pass.
Grayson’s bond was set at $300,000 Tuesday and he later made bail that same day. Robert’s and Newton’s bonds were each set at $200,000. Roberts made bail on Wednesday but Newton was still being held in the Harris County Jail, as of Wednesday afternoon. The other two suspects have not yet been arrested, according to court documents.
It is currently unclear how many if any, other HISD teachers were involved or participated in the scheme. On Monday, a representative for HISD said any teachers connected to the scheme would be terminated.
“Any educator who engages in conduct of this nature abdicates their responsibility to our students and to our staff and represents a complete betrayal of the public trust,” said HISD Chief of Public Affairs and Communications Alexandra Elizondo in a statement. “HISD will cooperate fully with the Texas Education Agency and state and local law enforcement as the investigation progresses. All three of these employees have been arrested and will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately.”
“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.”