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CONTACT: Stephen Hegarty, 813-361-8349

Teachers Charged with Fraud Involving Industry Certification Exams

Land O’ Lakes, FL – (September 9, 2022) – After an investigation lasting more than a year the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement has brought charges against three Pasco County
teachers for fraudulent activity involving industry certification exams. All three teachers worked
at Hudson High School. Two have resigned, and one has remained on unpaid leave.

The teachers have been accused of helping students take industry certification exams, and in
some cases taking the exams for the students. Teachers receive additional funds when their
students pass these exams.

“We are extremely disappointed in these teachers who were placed in a position of trust, and
repeatedly chose to violate that trust,” said Pasco Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning.
“They took advantage of students for personal gain. That kind of behavior is shocking to
teachers everywhere who sacrifice for their students every day.”

Each of the suspects has been charged with organized scheme to defraud. They were arrested
on Thursday.

The suspects are:

 Harold “Jim” Martin, 47, who had worked for the school district since 2019. He has been
on unpaid leave since September 2021;
 Robert Herrington, 38, who was hired in 2015. He resigned in September 2021 as the
investigation began;
 Kathleen Troutman, 31, hired in 2014. She resigned in May 2020.

According to the charging documents, during the time the teachers engaged in the fraudulent
activity, their 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.

In the fall of 2020, Pasco Schools officials noted the high-than-normal testing activity and pass
rate and questioned one of the teachers about it. However, Pasco school officials were unable
to prove anything because the district did not have access to the testing materials and data
about test results. Those data are the property of the Agriculture Education Services and

Pasco County Schools is the largest employer in Pasco County, Florida, with approximately 10,000 employees who serve more than 77,000 students. The district is the 10th largest in
Florida and 49th largest in the United States. The operating budget is approximately $664.5 million, and the overall budget is $1.39 billion, which funds the operation and maintenance of 96
schools and construction of new schools and additions. Programs include traditional pre-k through 12th grade standards instruction, virtual instruction, career academies, adult education,
magnet themes, and charter schools. The district is the largest in the United States with an elected superintendent who governs the district along with five elected school board members.
Technology (AEST), a subsidiary of the Florida Farm Bureau, which oversees and administers
the certification process and handles the scoring of tests.

Then, after AEST received an anonymous tip in the Spring of 2021, AEST conducted a
statewide audit and discovered the highly unusual pass rates at Hudson High. They contacted
the school district. Recognizing the possibility that the teachers’ actions could be criminal in
nature, Pasco school officials contacted the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, who determined the
investigation would more appropriately be handled by FDLE.

“I want to thank the FDLE for conducting an extremely thorough investigation, and to thank
AEST for their assistance,” Browning said. “These are complex cases with multiple victims,
and they did a tremendous job of sorting it all out.”

Over the past year, Pasco Schools has worked with AEST and with the state to put additional
safeguards in place to ensure testing is secure. The safeguards include increased testing and
security protocols, validation at the district level that a test has been taken, and multi-panel
review of all testing data.

The district will work closely with AEST and the Florida Department of Education to ensure that
the student victims are not further adversely affected. More than 1,000 industry certification
tests from Hudson High School have been invalidated by AEST. Arrangements are being
made so that the affected students have an opportunity to retake the tests for free.

In addition, now that the fraudulent scheme has been unraveled, Pasco Schools will work with
AEST and the Florida Department of Education to ensure that any funds that must be returned
will be returned in full.

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Pasco County Schools is the largest employer in Pasco County, Florida, with approximately 10,000 employees who serve more than 77,000 students. The district is the 10th largest in
Florida and 49th largest in the United States. The operating budget is approximately $664.5 million, and the overall budget is $1.39 billion, which funds the operation and maintenance of 96
schools and construction of new schools and additions. Programs include traditional pre-k through 12th grade standards instruction, virtual instruction, career academies, adult education,
magnet themes, and charter schools. The district is the largest in the United States with an elected superintendent who governs the district along with five elected school board members.