HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Dozens of local teachers are now having their certifications reviewed by the state after being accused of paying someone to take a teacher certification test for them.

13 Investigates has obtained from the Texas Education Agency a list of 102 of the approximately 200 teachers the Harris County District Attorney’s office said were involved in the teacher certification scandal.

The new information shows just how widespread the scheme was across Texas. Thirty-eight teachers who previously worked in the Houston area were suspected of paying someone to take a certification test, 49 from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, five in East Texas, and even one in Central Texas.

“It’s really disheartening,” said Jacob Kirksey, an assistant professor in the College of Education at Texas Tech University. “As an educator, you would not want your own students to cheat, and so I think it’s a bit ironic that we have teachers who are willing to pay someone else to sit and take a test, particularly when that test is intended to measure some really important things that you should be able to know and do in your classroom.”

In October, the Harris County District Attorney accused Vincent Grayson, a basketball coach at Houston ISD, of being “the kingpin” of an operation that allowed about 200 teachers across Texas to cheat on their certification exam.

Prosecutors said the teachers would pay someone to take the certification exam for them while two other people involved in the scheme worked as proctors for those administering the exam.

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The Texas Education Agency, which oversees teacher certification, told 13 Investigates it just finished reaching out to impacted districts on Tuesday to inform them about educators who are under investigation for allegedly paying someone else to take their certification exam.

“Through this outreach, TEA was able to learn from some districts that the educators being placed under investigation were no longer employed with that particular district,” according to the statement. “As new information surfaces, districts will be notified accordingly. These outreach efforts are critical for district leadership so that they can keep their communities apprised.”

The TEA said it’s important to note that the district associated with each teacher it is investigating isn’t necessarily where the teacher works now. Instead, it is where the teacher worked during the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school year.

The state agency also said it expects the list of impacted teachers to grow beyond the 102 that was released on Wednesday.

Based on that previous work history, 15 teachers involved in the scandal work at Houston ISD, including Grayson, who allegedly led the operation.

In a statement, HISD said all of the individuals involved in the scandal “have been relieved of their duties and reassigned pending the outcome of the state’s investigation.”

“HISD has a rigorous approach to recruiting, hiring, training, and supporting educators so that all our students get the education they deserve. It is a shame that a small handful of individuals, out of HISD’s more than ten thousand dedicated teachers, allegedly tried to cheat the system and Houston’s students,” the district said in a statement.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD told 13 Investigates that all four teachers are still employed by the district.

Five teachers worked at Alvin ISD, and four each at Fort Bend ISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.

“The TEA notified CFISD on Tuesday, December 3, that the teachers’ certifications were being investigated. We have no further information or details at this time,” the district said in a statement.

Galena Park ISD had one teacher on the list who worked at the district.

The district said it takes integrity “very seriously.”

“We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and ethics among our staff,” the district said. “We cannot disclose specific details about the employment status of the employee in question due to privacy considerations surrounding personnel matters. Please know that Galena Park ISD will cooperate fully with the relevant authorities in their investigation during this ongoing legal matter. Galena Park ISD remains committed to providing a high-quality education to all our students. We will continue to work diligently to ensure that all our educators meet the necessary qualifications and uphold the ethical standards expected of them.”

Conroe ISD said a teacher involved in the alleged fraud worked for the district during the 2023-24 school year but resigned prior to this school year.

Pearland ISD also told us a teacher involved in the fraud previously worked for the district but is no longer employed.

Kirksey teacher certification is important because it ensures teachers have the tools needed to implement the most effective instructional practices.

“This is so ridiculous,” he said. “As a parent, I would be concerned because those exams are meant to assess whether my child’s teacher is prepared to be in front of a classroom.”

For updates on this story, follow Kevin Ozebek on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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A Texas man has been identified and charged with allegedly producing child pornography, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. 

Christopher Lynn Driskill, 48, originally listed on the FBI’s most wanted list as John Doe 49, was believed to have produced child pornography from 2017 to 2024, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

FBI agents were able to identify Driskill on November 18th and charged him with production of child pornography and arrested him on November 26th.

Court documents show that in July 2024, child sexual abuse material posted on the dark web was referred to the FBI’s Victim Identification Program. The videos displayed a male sexually assaulting a prepubescent male and several tattoos can be seen, including the word “DABBY” on his chest,” the number “197x” on his left bicep, the words “CAST NO STONES” on his left forearm, and a Texas flag in the shape of a head on his right forearm.

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In September 2024, a former dating partner had also come forward to report to the Coleman Police Department that Driskill had drunkenly confessed to molesting a child and recording it. Those officers were able to meet with the child, who did not make an outcry. 

They interviewed Driskill on camera, who denied the allegations, claiming his former partner was upset over a bad breakup. Because officials had no other evidence, the case was closed.

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The videos displayed a male sexually assaulting a prepubescent male and several tattoos can be seen including the word “DABBY” on his chest,” the number “197x” on his left bicep, the words “CAST NO STONES” on his left forearm, and a Texas flag in the shape of a head on his right forearm. (FBI)

In the recorded interview, police officials noted that the tattoos “CAST NO STONES” on his left forearm, a 1975 tattoo on his left bicep, and part of a Texas flag in the shape of a head on his right forearm were visible. 

Still images from the interview were then uploaded to a database by the FBI. 

The FBI were able to match tattoos via social media with those seen in the assault video. They also said that the profile picture appeared similar to the images of the subject in the child sexual abuse material. 

A prisoner behind the jail cell bars. (iStock)

Utilizing that information, they traced the account back to Driskill who was living in Coleman, Texas with his parents.

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In November, Coleman Police Department were also made aware of the FBI investigation into a possible molestation and compared the footage of their interview allegedly matching the face and tattoos.

If convicted, Driskill faces up to 30 years in federal prison.

Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman, a former five-star recruit who began each of the last two seasons as the Aggies’ starting quarterback, intends to enter the transfer portal, a source briefed on the decision confirmed.

The decision, while not unexpected, closes the chapter on what was once a promising A&M career for Weigman.

As part of Texas A&M’s historic 2022 recruiting class, the highest-rated in the modern recruiting era according to 247Sports, Weigman showed early flashes of the talent that earned him his lofty recruiting ranking. He started four of the last five games of the 2022 season, then won the starting job going into the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

His 2023 campaign was cut short by a foot injury suffered in the first month of the season. At the time, Weigman was playing his best football, completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 979 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

After A&M’s coaching change from Jimbo Fisher to Mike Elko, the program entered 2024 with high hopes for Weigman. But he endured a rough debut in A&M’s 23-13 loss to Notre Dame and missed three games later in September with a shoulder injury. He returned to start the next three, including a 41-10 win over Missouri in which he looked dominant, but he was benched in an Oct. 26 win over LSU for Reed, who had started earlier in the season while Weigman was sidelined.

Weigman only saw the field once in November, playing nine snaps in the second half of a 38-3 win over New Mexico State.

In three seasons, Weigman appeared in 15 games (starting 13), throwing for 2,694 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He completed 60 percent of his throws.

Despite his up-and-down 2024 season, Weigman is likely to find plenty of suitors in the transfer portal. When he’s at his best, he was considered one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. Coming into the season, there was some buzz about Weigman being a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if he had a strong season.

But he struggled to find consistency as A&M’s starter this season. After being benched in the LSU game, Elko said that Weigman was “sped up” in going through his progressions and not seeing the field as well as he had before. That led to poor decisions and inaccurate throws.

“His clock starts moving faster when he’s not having success,” Elko said on Oct. 28. “His eyes are going through the progressions a little too quick. He’s getting the ball out of his hand a little too quick. I think we saw that a couple of throws.

“Or he rushes his mechanics a little bit and the ball sails on him.”

The fact that his last two seasons were interrupted by injury also didn’t help him. Weigman never had a chance to be a full-time starter for more than four consecutive games during his A&M career. Weigman, from Cypress, Texas, near Houston, was the No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports.

The transfer portal officially opens on Dec. 9.

(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)