Former “thief in law” Houston, assistant principal behind million-dollar teacher certification scandal, to stand trial

HOUSTON – All eyes will be on the court case, which we have been following since Monday, when Harris County District Attorney’s Office sheds light on Houston a cheating scandal involving hundreds of unqualified teachers get certified to teach in various local schools

INFORMATION: 200 unqualified teachers certified in $1 million Houston fraud scheme

Three former Houston ISD officials are expected to appear before a judge Friday morning.

According to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, the scheme, reportedly worth more than a million dollars, involved obtaining teaching positions for individuals who did not meet certification requirements and falsifying their credentials.

Records showed that about 430 mock tests were administered and more than 210 unqualified teachers were certified under the scheme and are currently practicing or practicing in Texas public schools and in state districts.

In total, five people were involved in the investigation, according to the DA Kim Oggbut three former HISD employees taken into custody. Vincent GraysonThe 57-year-old head boys basketball coach at Booker T. High School. of Washington in Houston, ISD, was charged as a “thief in law” in a fraudulent scheme.

EXPLANATOR: How the $1 million Houston teacher fraud scheme worked

nicholas newton, 35, an assistant principal at the school where Grayson worked, was also arrested LaShonda Roberts39, another assistant principal at Jack Yates High School. Officials said she was accused of recruiting nearly 100 teachers.

The two other accused in the scheme, Taiwana Guilford Mason, 51, a former VA director/certification officer at the Houston Training Center, and Darian Nicole Wilhite, 22, a proctor at TACTIX, were not taken into custody.

Roberts and Grayson were released into custody on Wednesday, and Newton (as of Friday morning) remains in jail.