The Houston based cheating ring allegedly led to illegally certified teachers working in schools Texas wide
A teacher certification scandal is rocking the Houston area, according to a statement by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Monday.
The scheme involved hundreds of teachers taking false examinations, given out by the suspects who charged per certificate, with many being falsely certified.
The cheating ring unmasked at least five people allegedly involved in the million-dollar cheating scandal leading to fraudulently certified teachers working in the district. At least three of those charged were Houston Independent School District (HISD) employees, including two assistant principals and a high school basketball coach.
Officials believe the basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School was the ringleader and that he made about $1 million from the scheme, charging $2,500 per certificate, although some paid more.
Ogg said the scheme goes back as far as May 2020, and it is believed that hundreds of tests have been faked and investigators say at this time approximately 20 teachers have come forward with confessions.
“The extent of this scheme will never be fully known, but we know that at least 400 tests were taken and at least 200 teachers falsely certified,” Ogg said.
Ogg also said at least two of those who paid to obtain the fake certification were charged with indecency with a child as well as online solicitation of a minor.
“It’s very troubling,” Mike Levine, a felony chief in the DA Office’s Public Corruption Division, said. “Because teachers — especially teachers and coaches who help influence children’s behavior — we count on them for their moral compass. A part of what they do goes beyond their mastery of their subject matter.”