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Former Houston ISD ‘kingpin,’ assistant principals behind million-dollar teacher certificate scandal appear in court

LaShonda Roberts, Vincent Grayson, and Nicholas Newton are former Houston ISD staff who were linked to a teacher certificate scandal, where hundreds of unqualified educators had their credentials falsified and allowed to teach at various local schools (Copyright 2024 by Harris County Jail Records - All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – All eyes will be on a court case we’ve been following since Monday when the Harris County District Attorney’s Office shed light on a Houston-based cheating scandal involving hundreds of unqualified teachers getting certified to teach at various local schools

BACKGROUND: 200 unqualified teachers certified in $1M Houston-based cheating scheme

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A total of five people were named in the investigation, according to DA Kim Ogg, but three former HISD staff taken into custody Monday. Vincent Grayson, 57, the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD was charged as the “kingpin” in the cheating scheme.

Nicholas Newton, 35, an assistant principal at the school where Grayson worked was also arrested as well as LaShonda Roberts, 39, another assistant principal at Jack Yates High School. Officials said she is accused of recruiting nearly 100 teachers.

EXPLAINER: How alleged $1M Houston-based teacher cheating scheme worked

On Wednesday, Roberts and Grayson were out on bond, while Newton remained in jail. During their court appearance Friday morning, a judge lowered Newton’s bond from $200,000 to $50,000.

Two others have been 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 but not taken into custody Monday. That changed for Wilhite, who was arrested early Friday morning and appeared in probable cause court.

The scheme, reportedly worth over a million dollars, involved securing teaching positions for individuals who did not meet certification requirements and falsifying their credentials, according to the Harris County DA’s office.

RELATED: What will happen to teachers who participated in Houston-based, million dollar certification scam?

Records showed about 430 fake tests were taken 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.

SEE ALSO: More than 800 uncertified teachers started the school year in Houston ISD


About the Authors
Ahmed Humble headshot

Historian, educator, writer, expert on "The Simpsons," amateur photographer, essayist, film & tv reviewer and race/religious identity scholar. Joined KPRC 2 in Spring 2024 but has been featured in various online newspapers and in the Journal of South Texas' Fall 2019 issue.

Bryce Newberry headshot

Bryce Newberry joined KPRC 2 in July 2022. He loves the thrill of breaking news and digging deep on a story that gets people talking.

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