A Tennessee trainer who was named Instructor of the 12 months has give up after accusing the college district of directing her to vary a failing scholar’s grade.
Samira Hardcastle, named the 2025-2026 Instructor of the 12 months at John F. Kennedy Center Faculty in Antioch, Tenn., submitted her letter of resignation in Could after eight years educating artwork in Metro Nashville Public Faculties.
“District leaders requested me to manufacture grades for a dad or mum who sat within the workplace for hours till her daughter’s failing grades had been modified,” Hardcastle stated in an impassioned speech at Tuesday’s faculty board assembly.
“It creates false entitlement. What occurs when these youngsters lie, cheat and cry their approach by way of faculty and find yourself as future medical doctors, police or politicians? When will you shield the way forward for our society?” she demanded.
Hardcastle accused the district of permitting that very same dad or mum, whom she stated had harassed greater than 30 lecturers, to proceed getting into faculty property.
“Lecturers have filed police experiences and whole colleges have had restraining orders in opposition to her,” Hardcastle alleged. “But she remains to be allowed onto the property exhibiting as much as fill tips her baby didn’t earn and filming different college students. When will you cease prioritizing dad and mom’ emotions over the protection of our college students?”
The grade dispute started when Hardcastle gave the scholar a failing mark for not ending an artwork undertaking, which prompted the scholar’s dad or mum to intervene and directors to inform Hardcastle to vary the grade, in keeping with WSMV4.
Hardcastle refused to take action, although the directors modified it anyway, the outlet reported.
A Metro Nashville Public Faculties spokesman stated Hardcastle’s declare “doesn’t absolutely replicate what occurred,” including that there was “no written schoolwide coverage on the time that prohibited the scholar from being given a possibility to finish the work” and that the scholar finally completed the undertaking and acquired a grade.
Hardcastle additionally raised issues about trainer vacancies and payroll throughout her board assembly speech.
“I heard you additionally point out that we’re closing gaps in trainer vacancies. I need the general public to know that lots of these are crammed with uncertified lecturers,” she stated.
“HR withheld cash from my paycheck and lots of others. They took $500 from me particularly and it put me behind on my mortgage. After which they despatched out an e mail saying they needed to do it to pay different workers. When will you pay lecturers what they’re owed?” she continued.
Earlier than resigning, Hardcastle was disciplined for what the district referred to as unprofessional communication with a dad or mum and scholar.
Diana Wills, a former math trainer at John Overton Excessive Faculty, additionally rejected directives to vary failing grades, in keeping with inner emails obtained by WSMV4.
“What’s being performed is unethical and will very effectively be interpreted as unlawful,” Wills wrote in a single e mail.
Wills was advised by directors she had failed college students with out first notifying their dad and mom, as required by district coverage, in keeping with the emails.
Due to that, she was advised to move the scholars by giving them a D.
Wills stated one scholar had been given a number of alternatives to retake the exams however by no means adopted by way of, and identified that she spent a lot of the semester on medical depart.
“You might be latching onto a really obscure line within the coverage so you may prepare dinner the books to have the info look the best way you want it to,” Wills wrote in one other e mail.
Wills is now suing the district over her suspension.
Nashville Metro Faculties stated that Wills’ case concerned a distinction of opinion over district insurance policies and that the grade modifications “didn’t meaningfully have an effect on the scholar’s ultimate end result in these programs.”
