HOUSTON – Two of the three Houston ISD employees who were charged in connection to a teacher-certification cheating scheme that allowed unqualified teachers to work in local school districts have bonded out of jail.
Vincent Grayson, 57, the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School was identified as the “kingpin” in the scheme. He was released on a $150,000 bond.
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LaShonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School in Houston ISD, was also released after posting a $50,000 bond.
Nicholas Newton, 35, an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD, remains in jail on a $100,000 bond.
The two others charged in the scheme, Tywana Gilford Mason, 51, the former director/VA certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center, and Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22, a proctor at TACTIX, have not been taken into custody.
Houston ISD says the three employees charged in connection to the scheme were relieved of duty immediately.
The alleged scheme, reportedly worth over a million dollars, involved falsifying credentials to secure teaching positions for individuals who did not meet certification requirements, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s office.
Court documents show an estimated 430 tests were taken fraudulently and more than 210 unqualified teachers were certified in this scheme, who are now practicing or practiced at Texas public schools and in districts across the state.
The scandal is believed to have impacted multiple school districts in the area and across the state, leading to heightened concerns about educational standards and public safety.