HOUSTON, Texas – Three of the five people arrested and charged in connection to the million-dollar teacher certification scheme were employed by the Houston Independent School District.
Vincent Grayson, Nicholas Newton and LaShona Roberts were all arrested Monday and charged with engaging in criminal activity.
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“HISD was made aware of the investigation into an alleged cheating conspiracy shortly before arrests were made. 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. 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,” the HISD statement read, in part.
Vincent Grayson
Vincent Grayson, previously the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School, was recently a nominee for High School Coach of the Year at the Houston Sports Awards.
He significantly influenced the school’s basketball program, leading the team to its first-ever UIL state tournament in 2023.
Grayson now faces charges as the alleged ‘kingpin’ of a scheme that enabled nearly 200 unqualified teachers to secure positions in local school districts.
Authorities say that Grayson profited over $1 million from this operation. His initial bond was set at $150,000 for each of the two counts of organized criminal activity, totaling $300,000, but was later reduced by a judge to $50,000 per charge.
He posted bond and was released on Tuesday afternoon.
Nicholas Newton
Nicholas Newton, the assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School, is facing two charges of organized criminal activity.
His bond was initially set at $100,000 per charge, amounting to a total of $200,000, with conditions prohibiting any contact with co-defendants.
Court documents allege that Newton served as a proxy test-taker, reportedly completing hundreds of certification exams.
LaShonda Roberts
Roberts, an assistant principal at Jack Yates High School, was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.
Her attorney, Leonard, stated that Roberts was unexpectedly taken into custody while on campus.
On Tuesday, her attorney appeared before a judge, who initially set her bond at $100,000 per charge but later reduced it to $25,000 per charge. Roberts was released on bond shortly thereafter.
She is accused of recruiting nearly 100 teachers for the cheating scheme. Roberts, 39, has been with the district for over 15 years and is due back in court on Friday.
What will happen to the teachers who were certified through the scam?
HISD said any teacher who participated in the scheme or passed their certification exams fraudulently will be terminated.