Last fall, Jessica Hernandez was serving a 90-day jail sentence for theft. Today, she’s helping to shape young minds as a paraprofessional at Kemper Elementary School.

Facing a maximum six-year prison sentence, Hernandez was ordered in August 2013 to 90 days in the county jail, three years of probation, 200 hours of community service and to write a letter of apology to the victim, a local dentist. She is on probation for two more years.

The 33-year-old mother of two pleaded guilty to felony theft after embezzling nearly $24,000 from the dentist over a four-year span.

In August 2014, Hernandez was hired as a paraprofessional at Kemper Elementary, where she earns $12,817 helping to provide instruction and support for classroom teachers. Her employment was rubber-stamped without discussion by the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school board on Aug. 19.

“In order to promote a respectful and trusting relationship with our employees, the district will never discuss any personal or private issues of our employees’ lives with the media,” said Re-1 Superintendent Alex Carter.

The Cortez Journal asked Carter, Kemper Elementary Principal Angela Galyon and all seven members of the school board school to list concerns about Hernandez serving as a role model to students, her role as a paraprofessional, her qualifying credentials and the results of a background check, if conducted.

Carter was the only official to reply. Carter said Hernandez was deemed to be the “most qualified candidate” selected by a Kemper Elementary hiring team as a reading intervention paraprofessional.

“In this paraprofessional capacity, Mrs. Hernandez provides direct intervention services to 30 to 40 students per week to support their progress toward meeting their reading goals,” Carter wrote in an email.

“While Mrs. Hernandez’s service with the district is just beginning, her performance and attitude thus far have been exemplary,” Carter wrote. “She has already made a strong connection with the students and staff at Kemper Elementary.”

Carter said district paraprofessionals were not required to hold certifications or credentials. The only qualifications, he said, were a high school diploma and an ability to pass a state-approved test of basic literacy and math.

Court records show that Hernandez had skimmed more than 100 customer payments from the dental clinic by entering patients’ cash payments as credit-card transactions. The individual payments – many from the same customers – ranged from a low of $7 to a high of $2,063. In September 2011, records show, Hernandez embezzled 15 payments, nearly one every other day.

When imposing the sentence last year, District Court Chief Judge Douglas Walker said he was disappointed that Hernandez failed to address the harm to the actual victim. During her 20-minute address to the court, Hernandez repeatedly alluded to the devastation she caused to her family.

“You took advantage of your position of trust for pure greed,” Walker told Hernandez.

In connection to her felony conviction, court records reveal Hernandez completed her 200 hours of community service at the Cortez Public Library in May. She wrote an apology letter to Dr. Jason Smith at San Juan Dental last October.

“I wish with everything in me that I could take back my actions,” she wrote.

Contained in the letter, Hernandez apologized for her “dishonesty” and admitted that her “selfish” acts caused Smith, his family and his business “hurt, pain and anger.”

“I hope with time you can forgive me,” Hernandez concluded.

Carter’s response

Following is Montezuma-Cortez Superintendent Alex Carter’s unedited response to the Cortez Journal on Sept. 15, 2014.
“In order to promote a respectful and trusting relationship with our employees, the district will never discuss any personal or private issues of our employees’ lives with the media. We are happy to explain professional roles and responsibilities.”
“Paraprofessionals in our district serve in a variety of roles. The title is used whenever a school needs to employ a non-certified person to serve in an instructional role. Some of the paraprofessionals who serve in our district act as general instructional aides, such as in many of our kindergarten classrooms supporting the general instruction and supervision of our youngest students; others serve as academic intervention aides, working with students who have been identified as needing extra support to succeed in the classroom; and still others serve as aides in our exceptional student services department, working with students with special needs who require intensive support beyond what the ESS teachers are able to provide.”
“Paraprofessionals in our district are not required to hold certification or credentials. The only qualifications that are required for one of these positions is that the candidate hold a high school diploma (or equivalency), be able to pass a state approved test of basic literacy and math, and have the heart and passion to work with students.”
“We could not provide the level of service or support to our students that we do without the efforts of our paraprofessional staff. It is important to note that paraprofessionals are some of the lowest compensated employees in our district. The work they do is virtually community service – and therefore they should be commended for stepping up to perform this important work. Teachers, working closely with our dedicated paraprofessional staff, represent the backbone of this school district and are the reason our district will move forward as an educational institution.”
“All school district employees are subject to a criminal background check from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) before working with our students. Our primary responsibility to the community is to ensure the safety and welfare of our students and staff. The district screens all candidates to eliminate any from consideration who have a history of violence or any indication that they are unfit to work with children. Above and beyond these concerns, the district evaluates candidates to find the best qualified person to support our children to meet and exceed their educational goals.”
“Mrs. Hernandez was selected by a Kemper hiring team as the most qualified candidate for a Reading Intervention Paraprofessional position. In this paraprofessional capacity, Mrs. Hernandez provides direct intervention services to thirty to forty students per week to support their progress toward meeting their reading goals. In addition to that, she works with teachers and administrators to help supervise students during recess, lunch, and passing times. While Mrs. Hernandez’s service with the district is just beginning, her performance and attitude thus far have been exemplary. She has already made a strong connection with the students and staff at Kemper Elementary.”
“On a personal note, I believe that it is admirable when people who have made mistakes in the past decide to dedicate their time and energies to improving their community’s future by choosing to work with children. The work we do at school offers an incredible opportunity for redemption through community service. There is no more honorable occupation than that of helping children improve their abilities to read, write, and do math. I hope that schools will always be allowed to provide people who want to improve themselves this opportunity. It is good for the employee, good for the schools, good for kids, and good for our community.”