TEA petition seeks to possibly take teacher certificates from 11 in EPISD cheating scandal
The Texas Education Agency has filed a petition to punish 11 educators allegedly involved in the El Paso Independent School District cheating scandal.
Those named in the petition are Damon Murphy, Terri Jordan, James Anderson, Maria Flores, Mirna Gamboa, Norma Regina Gonzalez aka Gina Oaxaca, Kathleen Ortega, Jesus Chavez, Anna Luisa Kell, Juan Manuel Duran, and Johnnie Vega.
According to the petition, the TEA is asking the administrative law judge “enter a proposal for decision up to and including permanent revocation of the Texas Educator certificates of each respondent listed in the petition.”
Read the full petition at http://bit.ly/1r5fUDZ
In Sept. 2013, some EPISD employees mentioned in connection with the cheating scandal received letters from the TEA.
EPISD Board of Managers President Dee Margo told ABC-7 in Sept. 2013 that “the letters are the TEA’s response to the evidence in the Weaver report.”
That’s the audit EPISD commissioned to investigate the extent of the scheme to cheat the federal accountability system. The fraud landed former superintendent Lorenzo Garcia in prison.
The state’s education agency requested the district turn over its findings in July.
Margo said EPISD has nothing to do with the letters some employees mentioned in the report received in September but he understands the TEA is putting some employees on notice that their professional certification is under review.
EPISD released the 86-page report by Weaver and Tidwell, LLP on April 1, 2013. The auditor was hired by the district and conducted the audit from Nov. 5, 2012 to Feb. 8, 2013.
Weaver and Tidwell, LLP conducted and documented at least 154 witnesses, including individuals from Central Office and at least nine campuses. Former employees also were interviewed.
Of more than one million emails downloaded from the district’s current and former email systems, 98,000 emails were pulled from more than 60 current and ex-staff members’ current and archived email data files.
Related Content:
April 1, 2013 – View EPISD audit broken down by high school
April 1, 2013 – EPISD Audit: Findings and recommendations
April 1, 2013 – EPISD releases audit into cheating scandal
April 2, 2013 – Parents, community members start petition to reinstate embattled administrators at EPISD schools
April 3, 2013 – EPISD reinstates 7 of 8 administrators at high schools after outcry by students, parents at board meeting
