Former high school teachers allegedly ran testing scam, 1,000+ certifications invalid

FLORIDA – An alleged fraudulent testing scam has resulted in the arrests of three former Florida high school teachers and the invalidation of more than 1,000 certification exams, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has announced.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), its agents arrested three former Hudson High School teachers after an investigation allegedly discovered they ran a fraudulent testing scam involving certification exams for Agriculture Education Services and Technology (AEST), Inc.

Those arrested on Thursday have been identified as Robert “Rob” Edward Herrington, 38, of Port Richey, booked into Pasco County Jail; Kathleen “Kate” Rebecca Troutman, 31, of Bradford, Arkansas, booked into Jackson County Detention Center; and Harold “Jim” James Martin III, 47, of Hudson, booked into Pasco County Jail.

Each suspect is charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud, the FDLE said. Arrests were made Thursday. The investigation remains active.

According to the FLDE, in 2021, AEST received an anonymous complaint about the testing process at Hudson High School and initiated a statewide audit.  The audit reportedly revealed Hudson High School students took more certification exams than any other school in Florida, their students completed the tests in less than half the time of other students, and they had much higher pass rates.

FDLE began its investigation last May at the request of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office after they received a complaint from Pasco County Schools, the agency said.

As part of the program, teachers are paid a bonus of $25 to $50 for each passed test taken by their students, the FDLE said. School districts are also paid several hundred dollars for each passed test.

Before being allowed to administer the exams, teachers are reportedly required to pass them using the same requirements as the students, taking the tests individually, without study guides or test materials, and with a proctor present.

FDLE agents say some of the suspects took their administrator exams together and, after recording the test questions, they prepared study guides for their students, which allegedly were exact copies of the certification exams.  No monitors were present, the FDLE said.

The suspects reportedly recruited students to help produce study guides, which were allowed to be used while taking the tests.

In addition, the FDLE said the teachers provided students with answers during the exams and, in some cases, took the tests for the students, including those in Exceptional Student Education, often without their knowledge.  Monitors were never used, the agency said.

The alleged scheme, which spanned over four years, reportedly resulted in the loss of more than $708,000, including $36,725 paid in teacher bonuses.

According to the FDLE’s statement, AEST said they are invalidating more than 1,000 certification exams from Hudson High School,