Mississippi Teacher Accused in Test-Taking Scheme




(Columbus, Mississippi) A 34-year-old special education teacher at Columbus High School, Darcel Gardner, has been accused of engaging in a widespread fraudulent teacher test-taking scheme.

Gardner faces federal charges of mail fraud and aiding and abetting.

The indictment alleges that in April 2009, Gardner paid Clarence Mumford Sr. of Memphis $1,000 to have someone take her Praxis biology licensing test on April 25,2009. She mailed Mumford the money and her driver’s license on April 22, 2009, the indictment states.

As a result of getting a passing grade on the test, prosecutors claim she got her Mississippi teacher’s certification in biology in July 2011.[...]

Gardner and others named in the indictments which were first revealed Sept. 19 bring to 14 the number of teachers or test-takers accused of taking part in the scam. Federal authorities say Mumford, 58, a former Memphis city schools employee, charged teachers and aspiring educators thousands of dollars to find stand-ins to take state-required certification tests in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

The scheme was first uncovered in 2010 and prosecutors say it involves more than 50 teachers and test-takers. Mumford allegedly would make fake driver’s licenses which the bogus test-takers would show testing officials to get by identification requirements.

Gardner was booked into custody and released on $5,000 bond.

Interestingly, although the fraudulent test-taking scheme has been described as 'widespread' and involving more than 50 teachers, an education professor at Mississippi State, Kay Brocato, deemed it to be a rare case.