SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — A Chaparral High School teacher and coach of multiple sports is on paid administrative leave after an investigation by the Arizona Department of Education.
Scottsdale Unified School District says Richie Krzyzanowski has been at Chaparral since 2014, but now the state says he should not have his certificates to teach.
According to the district, Krzyzanowski has been on paid administrative leave since February 13.
Krzyzanowski went in front of the Professional Practices Advisory Committee (PPAC) this month. The state says they learned he doesn't have the right credentials for the certificates he holds when they say he applied for a principal pre-K-12 certificate in July 2019 and falsified records.
"Using falsified AEPA score reports – not just one set, but two – and a falsified institutional recommendation from Grand Canyon University," Kim Anderson, an assistant attorney general, said during the PPAC hearing.
"I have my master's degree and I had I took my assessments and everything like that," Krzyzanowski told 12 News.
Krzyzanowski's closing statement in front of the committee focused not on the charges, but his motivation as a teacher.
"Everything I've done and continue – that I've continued to do through this investigation has been focused on the students," Krzyzanowski said.
The PPAC voted 5 to 0, recommending the Board of Education revoke Krzyzanowski's certificates.
The Board of Education is expected to meet to decide on his certificates on March 23.
"It's extremely harsh," Krzyzanowski said.
Krzyzanowski told 12 News he hopes to teach again, with this message to his students: "I love them. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than at the school doing what I've always done," Krzyzanowski said.
Certification is done through the Arizona Department of Education. But the verification of those certificates is on the districts, as they're in charge of their own hiring processes.
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