Dozens of Dallas-Area Teachers Are Implicated in Certification Scandal

Forty-nine North Texas educators have been implicated in a certification cheating scandal emanating from Houston. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released a list of 102 teachers from across the state who are accused of paying someone to sit in their place for the teacher certification test. The list is the first batch from an investigation into a total of approximately 200 teachers.

In a statement to KHOU, the TEA said it will “review any and all information shared by law enforcement and pursue appropriate action against any educator involved in this scheme. The State Board for Educator Certification will make a final determination on possible sanctions.”

Since the scandal unfolded, five people have been charged with criminal offenses. Some teachers have been terminated and others have been placed on administrative leave. None of the teachers have been stripped of their licenses yet.

“As new information surfaces, districts will be notified accordingly,” said the TEA in a statement to ABC13 in Houston. “These outreach efforts are critical for district leadership so that they can keep their communities apprised.”

The scheme operated at several levels. The Houston Police Department has identified the supposed mastermind behind the plan as the head basketball coach at Houston’s Booker T. Washington High School, Vincent Grayson. For a payment of $2,500, hopeful teachers would appear at testing centers, sign in for their scheduled test, then leave. Then a proxy, Nicholas Newton or Darian Nikole Wilhite, would complete the test for them, according to investigators. Grayson allegedly roped in Tywana Gilford Mason, a test proctor, by offering her 20% of the $2,500. LaShonda Roberts, a high school assistant principal in Houston, is said to have recruited the teachers paying for the service. Grayson is believed to have taken in more than $1 million from the scheme.

According to reports from NBC, the TEA noticed teachers who had failed the certification test were passing by “flying colors” on their second try in Houston in mid-2023. Over 400 fraudulent tests were taken dating back to 2020, according to authorities.

Schools from North Texas employed a significant number of teachers on the list. Independent School Districts under investigation include Allen, Cedar Hill, Crowley, DeSoto, Duncanville, Fort Worth, Garland, Irving, Lancaster, Mansfield, Mesquite, Princeton and Richardson. 

“On Dec. 1, the Texas Education Agency notified Dallas ISD of individuals implicated in a statewide cheating scandal who are current employees of the district,” said a statement from Dallas Independent School District. “A total of six employees were confirmed. The district is fully cooperating with TEA during their investigative process.”

In Houston, where 15 teachers have been tied to the scheme, the school district said those involved “have been relieved of their duties and reassigned pending the outcome of the state’s investigation.”

Certified teachers can earn three times the base pay of unlicensed teachers. The Every Student Succeeds Act, signed in 2015, was a response to a growing national teacher shortage that made it legal for teachers to work without a license. But the monetary incentive to be certified is high. In 2024, the Observer reported that Texas was hiring more unlicensed teachers than any other state. Aside from the learning gaps that swept the nation during the pandemic, Texas struggles with low testing scores, school funding controversies and low teacher retention rates.

Educators across the state have responded to the scandal, with many acknowledging the irony of teachers cheating on tests. Rena Honea, president of Dallas-based teachers union Alliance AFT, told NBC 5 that having licensed and properly trained teachers in every classroom is crucial.

“Our students need in this state and in the country people who, number one, want to be there that have been trained well that understand how children learn,” said Honea.