HOUSTON – The principal of Livingston High School Academy resigned and a teacher was fired after an audit revealed that students were admitted to the academy fraudulently and that teacher was helping students cheat, according to a press release from the Livingston Independent School District.
The audit, which was conducted at the direction of the LISD superintendent, revealed “substantial admission and academic policy violations,” at the academy, the school district wrote.
“The campus principal resigned when presented with the investigative findings, which revealed that students were fraudulently admitted into the Academy that did not meet at-risk criteria and/or were not Livingston residents,” district officials wrote. “The audit also revealed gross negligence in his oversight of the classroom and conduct of its lead teacher, who was terminated by the Board at the special called meeting held on February 3rd, for cultivating academic dishonesty in her classroom.”
Officials said the teacher prepared binders filled with test questions and answers for students to use while doing coursework and tests.
“This resulted in students accelerating through classes required for graduation at astronomical speed, some completing entire semester courses in mere minutes and an entire high school curriculum in weeks,” the district wrote.
LISD is working with the Texas Education Agency to “remediate the violations.”
All students at the academy who took core courses during the Fall 2019 semester will have to “illustrate mastery to regain credit," the school district said.
Livingston High School Academy is an alternative education program that creates alternative routes to graduation for students who have not been successful in a traditional school setting, according to the school’s website.