NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A former Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) teacher, who announced her resignation in front of the Metro School Board last month, says the district is failing its students.
Video of Samira Hardcastle's resignation went viral.
Hardcastle, a former Blue Ribbon Teacher of the Year who taught math and then art at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Antioch, claimed district leaders asked her to fabricate grades for a student whose parent demanded a grade change.
"District leaders ask me to fabricate grades for a parent who sat in the office for hours until her daughter's failing grades were changed," Hardcastle said.
Hardcastle came on Inside Politics to go into greater detail about what happened.
She said the situation involved a parent who became upset after her child did not make the honor roll following a missed assignment.
"So the parent complained, and this is a parent — they are very familiar within the district. And they, you know, said I had to give her another opportunity," Hardcastle said.
Hardcastle said the child went on to make the honor roll, but the experience was the final straw after 8 years of teaching.
She pushed back on Metro Schools statistics, showing increased graduation rates.
"It's a lie. I mean, just because the kid walked across the stage doesn't mean they can read and write on grade level," Hardcastle said.
Metro Schools responded to her resignation, saying the district has "not found evidence to support Ms. Hardcastle's broader claims regarding the manipulation of student grades or statistics."
The MNPS spokesperson said the child was allowed to complete an art assignment which was then graded by the principal, but the "principal did not select a score for the purpose of producing a particular final course grade." The spokesperson wrote it "would not be accurate to characterize this as the district simply changing a student's grade at a parent's request."
Hardcastle's resignation has drawn attention beyond the classroom.
Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R) Tennessee cited Hardcastle's resignation as a reason for conducting a financial audit of Metro schools.
"If you're willing to cheat on grades, we need a cleaner look into the financials. So, maybe we will take a look at their books," Sexton said.
Hardcastle said she is not motivated by politics.
"As far as politics, I am not political. I hate politics," Hardcastle said.
She has since spoken to the Metro Council and plans to address the school board at its next meeting about discipline problems in the schools.
"Do an audit. See what they are spending their money on and then make sure that they are putting the children first," Hardcastle said.
I sat down with Hardcastle for a full, unedited interview on Inside Politics.
You can watch the interview on NewsChannel 5's The Spot.
It is also available as a podcast.
Just enter Inside Politics Nashville wherever you get your podcasts and start listening.
