The name Dazhon Darien made international headlines in April when he was arrested and accused of using artificial intelligence to frame the Pikesville High School’s principal. Now, a FOX45 News investigation is raising new questions for Baltimore County Public Schools concerning how Darien was hired.
School systems around the country found glaring errors in Darien’s background when he applied for teaching positions. Yet, BCPS gave him a job making a six-figure salary.
According to police, earlier this year, Darien used artificial intelligence to create a fake recording of Pikesville’s former principal Eric Eiswert making racist and antisemitic comments. Darien faces charges including theft and stalking. He’s been released on bail while he awaits trial.
FOX45 News, in May, obtained the resume Darien submitted to BCPS where it appears he misrepresented many of his credentials, including education and work history.
Now, a Maryland State Department of Education report appears to show Darien faked his own college transcripts to try to get teaching jobs around the county, including Baltimore County.
Through a public records request with MSDE, FOX45 News received documents showing Darien applied for a Maryland teaching license in February of 2024. In June, a few months later, MSDE recommended a “permanent denial” of that license.
According to the 140-page report, MSDE found examples of “false” or “fraudulent” material submitted by Darien. This includes Darien’s transcript from Langston University where he claimed to have received a bachelor’s degree.
The transcripts show Darien earned a Grade Point Average of about 3.9, nearly perfect. He received an A in classes like classroom management, educational technology and methods of teaching secondary math. All classes that seem important. The problem is, according to the MSDE report, the transcripts are “fraudulent”.
When Darien applied for his Maryland teaching certificate, MSDE learned that in 2015 he had also applied for a teaching certificate in Florida. At the time, the Florida Department of Education determined his Langston University transcripts were not real. And Langston University in May confirmed to Project Baltimore that Darien had not received a degree from the school.
But the red flags in Darien’s application for a Maryland teaching certificate didn’t stop there.
According to the MSDE documents obtained by Project Baltimore, Darien “indicated” he also earned a master’s degree from Langston University and a doctorate from St. Edwards University, in Texas.
The transcripts show he earned that doctorate in 2023, graduating with a very impressive 3.8 grade point average. But again, the transcripts appear to be fake.
In the MSDE report, it states the, “document is not a transcript produced by St. Edwards University. It is a fraudulent document.”
If all this is true, if Darien faked his own college transcripts when applying for jobs, how did he get hired in Baltimore County, first as a teacher at Randallstown High School and then as an athletic director at Pikesville, making more than $100,000? In 2015, nine years ago, Florida first flagged his transcripts.
At a press conference in May, FOX45 News asked Superintendent Myriam Rogers, “Can you explain to taxpayers how Mr. Darien was hired for this position and does BCPS check resumes for accuracy?”
“Part of our hiring process includes some very specific steps,” replied Rogers, who added that the school system followed the standard process before hiring Darien. The process includes checking references and credentials in addition to a criminal background check and fingerprinting.
But Dr. Rogers never specifically answered the question. So, FOX45 News sent a follow-up email asking:
“Why Mr. Darien was hired before he had even applied for a Maryland teaching certificate?”
“What measures were taken (by BCPS) to confirm the authenticity of Mr. Darien’s transcripts?
And, “Has BCPS made any substantial changes to its hiring processes?”
The school system responded stating it has, “no further comment on this matter. Thank you and stay safe in this heat.”
