Dallas ISD faulted for using fake Social Security numbers

[rainbow4321]

Just when one thinks DISD could not possibly fuck up any more than they already have:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/111408dnmetdisdsocials.3d93dbc.html

Years after being advised by a state agency to stop, the Dallas Independent School District continued to provide foreign citizens with fake Social Security numbers to get them on the payroll quickly.

Some of the numbers were real Social Security numbers already assigned to people elsewhere. And in some cases, the state's educator certification office unknowingly used the bogus numbers to run criminal background checks on the new hires, most of whom were brought in to teach bilingual classes.

The district's investigative unit, called the Office of Professional Responsibility, began looking into the fake numbers after the Texas Education Agency's division of educator investigations advised the unit in July that it had discovered the district issuing false numbers in 2004.

That year, the TEA division became aware of the practice when DISD faxed copies of about 100 new Social Security Administration cards for foreign citizens – most of whom had been assigned district-issued numbers – and asked TEA to replace the old numbers, according to the investigative report. The state office told DISD at the time that it's illegal to make up Social Security numbers and pass them off as legitimate, the report says.


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This on the heels of their $84 million shortfall and layoff of hundreds of teachers..and their superintendent is already facing a no confidence vote in the coming weeks over THAT little checkbook problem.

[Ilsa]

1. More crap coming out of DISD. They also had a huge budget problem. nt

[rainbow4321]

2. They may have bigger problems now: "three federal laws...possibly 3 criminal offenses"

If this was done by a private business, would they not be raided/shut down/files confinscated??


Social Security Administration looks at Dallas schools' practice of issuing fake numbers

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111508dnmetdisdsocials.38d444f.html


The Social Security Administration is looking into DISD's practice of issuing fake Social Security numbers to employees hired from foreign countries and will determine whether a formal investigation is needed, Wes Davis, the agency's spokesman in Dallas, said Friday.

(snip)

Harry Joe, an immigration and employment lawyer who works with Irving ISD, said that at least three federal laws might be discussed by outside investigators of DISD practices, and that all three involve criminal offenses. "The employer was clearly complicit," Mr. Joe said. "They were the ones who assigned the fake numbers.

Several people from around the country called The News on Friday to ask about the numbers. One person, Dallas resident Terry Lindner, said she was concerned about her husband's identity being stolen. She said that his Social Security number begins with "200" – the same prefix that DISD began its false numbers with.

(snip)

Also, when investigators reviewed a sampling of personnel files, they learned that the fake numbers were entered on Department of Homeland Security and IRS forms. The forms are not transmitted outside the district but are made available to the appropriate federal agency upon request.