HOUSTON, Texas – The Jack Yates High School assistant principal who participated in the million-dollar teacher-certification scheme appeared in court Monday night after Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced her arrest.
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Among five others, LaShonda Roberts was arrested, charged, and accused of participating in the teacher-certification scheme that allowed unqualified teachers to work in local school districts.
Roberts, who has since been charged with two cases of engaging in organized criminal activity, did not appear in person before the judge on Monday night; instead, her attorney represented her in court. Her bond has been lowered from $100,000 for each case to $25,000 for each case as of Tuesday afternoon. According to the judge, if she makes a bond, she will not be able to have contact with any of the other four people charged in the scheme.
Roberts’ attorney, Brandon Leonard, asked the judge for a $1,000 bond in each case, saying that his client was not a risk to the community and did not commit a violent crime. He also argued that since his client has lost her job, she’s dealing with financial struggles. The judge ultimately denied his request.
“She was surprised at how she was arrested and taken into custody,” Leonard said, noting that his client was arrested while on campus at Jack Yates High School.
Roberts is expected back in court on Friday.
What Happened
On Monday during a news conference, District Attorney Ogg announced said from May 2020 through February 2024, Roberts along with four others falsified credentials to secure teaching positions for individuals who did not meet certification requirements.
According to court documents, an estimated 430 tests were taken fraudulently, and more than 210 unqualified teachers were certified who are now practicing or practiced at Texas public schools and in districts across the state.
The scandal not only took place in HISD but multiple school districts in the Houston area.
Here are the suspects who participated in the scheme:
- Vincent Grayson, 57, the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD for nearly 20 years. Grayson was charged as the organizer of the cheating scheme.
- Tywana Gilford Mason, 51, the former director/VA certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center. Mason’s role as test proctor allowed her to keep the proxy scheme undetected.
- Nicholas Newton, 35, an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD. Newton is alleged to have participated in the scheme as the proxy test-taker.
- Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22, a proctor at TACTIX who is alleged to have taken bribes to allow Newton to act as a testing proxy.
- LaShonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School in Houston ISD. Roberts is charged with recruiting nearly 100 teachers to participate in the cheating scheme.