50 North Texas teachers flagged in statewide test cheating scandal

The TEA is investigating a million-dollar teacher certification scheme tied to suspicious test-taking in Houston. The list includes 50 North Texas teachers across 21 districts.

DALLAS - The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is investigating whether 50 North Texas teachers were involved in a statewide teacher certification scheme.

The investigation started last year when the TEA noticed that some educators from different parts of the state who failed the exam were suddenly passing it after taking it again in the Houston area.

The TEA released a list of the Texas teachers whose certifications were flagged due to suspicious test-taking activities in Houston. Several are employed by the Dallas and Fort Worth school districts, including Dallas ISD and Fort Worth ISD.

"A total of six employees were confirmed. The district is fully cooperating with TEA during their investigative process," Dallas ISD spokesperson Robyn Harris said.

Dallas ISD did not clarify whether disciplinary actions would be taken against the six confirmed employees. The district also did not comment on the status of the other three employees flagged on the TEA's list.

Fort Worth ISD said it is working with the TEA regarding the investigation.

"The district takes this matter seriously, is cooperating fully with TEA, and will continue to do so to address this issue thoroughly," the district said in a statement.

The flagged teachers represent more than 50 schools across 21 districts in North Texas, including:

Allen ISD: 1
Arlington ISD: 3
Cedar Hill ISD: 1
Crowley ISD: 2
Dallas ISD: 9
DeSoto ISD: 1
Duncanville ISD: 8
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD: 1
Everman ISD: 1
Fort Worth ISD: 5
Garland ISD: 1
Irving ISD: 2
Lancaster ISD: 2
Mansfield ISD: 2
Mesquite ISD: 2
Mineral Wells ISD: 1
Palestine ISD: 1
Princeton ISD: 2
Red Oak ISD: 1
Richardson ISD: 2
Waxahachie ISD: 2

The full list of educators under investigation includes:

Rena Honea is president of Alliance AFT, the union that represents some 4,000 Dallas educators.

"Our union condemns this unacceptable behavior totally," she said. "It's very frustrating because the fraudulent actions of these few make an end an unnecessary burden for the 99% of our educators that go about getting their certification correctly."

In October, prosecutors charged three Houston ISD employees and two other Texas teachers with running a million-dollar teacher certification cheating scheme.

Aspiring teachers statewide reportedly paid to have others take certification exams for them in Houston. The TEA found that those who failed the certification test would pass after taking it in Houston.

"We know at least 400 tests were taken, and 200 teachers were falsely certified," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement.

Ogg said much of the money went to Vincent Grayson, a longtime basketball coach at Houston ISD and the alleged ringleader of the scheme. Grayson reportedly made $1.09 million in profits.

Houston ISD Assistant Principal Nicholas Newton is accused of taking tests for aspiring teachers and earning $188,000 in the process. Another assistant principal allegedly recruited teachers, charging around $1,000 per test, and made about $90,000. Test proctors acting as ‘lookouts’ earned $250 per test, totaling about $125,000.

The three Houston ISD employees were arrested, placed on administrative leave, and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity.

Ogg also revealed that two of the falsely certified teachers were sexual predators who gained access to underage students. It is unclear if those teachers worked for Houston ISD or elsewhere in Texas.

"Let it be known that that is not acceptable, and they don't need to be a part of the system," Honea said.

A TEA spokesperson tells FOX 4 she fully expects additional investigations to be opened as the agency receives more information.