It also seems noteworthy that the Texas Educator Certificate to be an Educational Aide that Manuel-Ramos presented expired on March 1, 2023. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm just a hillbilly and a college education is one obstacle I never had to overcome, but a quick Google search tells me this:
When a Texas educator certificate expires, it becomes inactive, requiring the educator to complete required Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours, pay a late fee, and submit a renewal application through their TEAL account to make it active again. While inactive, the teacher cannot be legally employed in a Texas public school.
If that is correct, wasn't it illegal to allow him on campus after March 1, 2023 in the capacity of a teacher or teacher's aide?
I pay more taxes every year to Bonham ISD than I do for everything the county does -- law enforcement, fire protection, EMS, roads...everything. I think I have a right to ask a few questions. Here is what I want to know. Here is what I think we all should know.
I would like someone to explain to me the series of administrative mistakes that led to an undocumented immigrant with an expired educational aide certificate being promoted to the status of non-certified teacher in order to teach a 4th grade class. Did we not have the proper procedures in place, or did we just not follow procedures?
Were there warning signs that something was going very wrong? If I talk to people who worked around Manuel-Ramos, will they tell me they were concerned long before his arrest? And what steps have been taken to ensure this can never happen again?
Here is another head-scratcher. When the combination of excellent police work by Bonham ISD Police Chief Hunter Templeton and the bravery of a student being solicited led to the defendant's arrest on February 8, 2024, why did former District Attorney Richard Glaser refuse to prosecute on November 12, 2024, meaning the case was never presented to a grand jury and charges were dropped at that time?
After all, when John Skotnik was elected as DA on November 5, 2024 and went into office January 1, 2025, he came to the decision that a grand jury should be convened to examine this case. That grand jury handed down an indictment and the evidence was solid enough to elicit a guilty plea that led to seven years in prison after which time Manuel-Ramos will be deported and forbidden from ever re-entering the U.S.
So, it would appear that during this timeframe Glaser was unsuccessfully pursuing six politically motivated indictments regarding the courthouse restoration, yet failed to follow through on evidence that would eventually lead to a guilty plea by Manuel-Ramos for Online Solicitation of a Minor, Child Grooming, Forgery, and Tampering with Government Documents once Skotnik took office.
And here is one reason why re-filing those charges was so important; if Skotnik’s office hadn’t nailed down a guilty plea, Manuel-Ramos could have worked his way into another school system. In fact, investigators were able to determine that Manuel-Ramos had attempted to do exactly that – after leaving Bonham, he had applied for employment at another school.
All of this has me wondering how many non-certified teachers are employed by Bonham ISD?
Is the percentage of non-certified teachers at Bonham ISD comparable to other Class 4A schools?
Do we have other employees of Bonham ISD that entered the country illegally?
And should parents be informed by a written notice when their child will be assigned a non-certified teacher in lieu of a fully certified teacher and be given an opportunity to change classes?
I'm waiting on Bonham ISD to tell me what percentage of classes are being taught by non-certified teachers, but parents can go to the TEA website and get this information for themselves. Hey, we all gotta do a little homework. Type in TEA certificate lookup.
My hat goes off to anyone who can stand and deliver, year after year, in a classroom -- as long as they have proper certification.
But when a class will be taught by a non-certified teacher, I think parents have a right to be apprised of the situation and given an opportunity to decide what is best for their child. If a non-certified teacher has a stellar reputation, it shouldn't be a problem. My guess is that if we provide parents with the details they need to make informed decisions, they will police this situation.
Of course, this is just an editorial, which means it is simply one person's opinion. Perhaps parents and other taxpayers don't take this situation as seriously as I do.
Perhaps I'm just a canary in a coal mine.
Perhaps we will find out.
Allen Rich
