Two Vero Beach High School teachers that were caught in a cheating scandal will keep their jobs.
Indian River County Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell said in written statement Friday that he “decided to withdraw the recommendation for termination.”
The district accused Alison Moody and Ralph Vaughn of giving students test questions before the tests.
Rendell said Vaughn took computerized tests before the students, breaching testing confidentiality requirements.
He's accused of logging onto the test using fictitious names like "George Washington," "Abraham Lincoln" and "Speedy Gonzales." He would use his own proctor number to take the test, according to Rendell.
Those tests were for students to earn industry certifications in certain computer programs.
Those actions invalidated certificates for more than 400 Vero Beach High School students earned after passing those tests last year and this year.
Below is the full statement Rendell released Friday:
"I have been reviewing all aspects of this situation for some time and have decided to withdraw the recommendation for termination. I made this decision for several reasons. First, the real victims in this situation were the students. They have lost industry certifications and in some cases lost course credit. Whether the teachers were terminated or not would not change that outcome for these students. There is no dispute that these employees violated testing protocols. As a result, the students certifications were invalidated. That is not acceptable and we cannot tolerate such actions. The goal is to address such violations in such a manner that they will not happen again. I am confident that the measures that we have taken will ensure that this will not happen again."
