MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Three local teachers flagged for cheating to get their teacher certification are now under investigation. They include one teacher from Waco ISD, a teacher from Temple ISD, and a teacher from Madisonville ISD.
- Houston ISD Boys Basketball Coach Vincent Grayson led a cheating ring where aspiring teachers would pay $2,500 to secure a passing score on their teacher certification, according to Harris County investigators.
- Attorney General Ken Paxton weighing in and saying, "Candidates would enter a testing center, provide their identification to a cooperating employee, and leave while Newton completed the exams in their place, allowing unqualified individuals to falsely obtain certification.”
See what Dominique learned about the scheme in this video:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This all goes back to a list from the Texas Education Agency released in October but has since been updated with additional teachers.
It’s being called a scheme — Houston ISD Boys Basketball Coach Vincent Grayson led a cheating ring where aspiring teachers would pay $2,500 to secure a passing score on their teacher certification, according to Harris County investigators.
That’s where prosecutors say HISD Assistant Principal Nicholas Newton took the teacher certification exam for more than 200 teachers, which includes the educators here in Central Texas.
25News confirmed Coach Anthony Webb from Waco ISD was previously employed at Midway ISD in 2022 and Marlin ISD in 2021.
And Coach Jazzmen Ortiz listed from Temple ISD is currently on Galena Park ISD’s staff directory as a head girls athletics coach.
We’re told other Houston ISD educators were a part of it too. One as a recruiter, and two other people were found as testing proctors.
Attorney General Ken Paxton weighed in with a statement,
“The operation involved teacher candidates paying Grayson to arrange for Newton to complete the TEA licensing exams on their behalf. Candidates would enter a testing center, provide their identification to a cooperating employee, and leave while Newton completed the exams in their place, allowing unqualified individuals to falsely obtain certification.”
Grayson is charged as the organizer of what’s being called that cheating operation and he allegedly made more than $1 million from it all.
