An award winning teacher made her case to the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education on Tuesday after resigning in May, claiming she was asked to fabricate grades for a student in order to appease a parent. Her remarks surfaced days after a New York educator received national media attention after raising similar concerns in a viral video.
“District leaders asked me to fabricate grades for a parent who sat in the office for hours until her daughter’s failing grades were changed. It creates false entitlement,” said former MNPS Samira Hardcastle during the public comment portion of the MNPS Board of Education meeting.
She questioned the board, “What happens when these kids lie, cheat, and cry their way through school and end up as future doctors, police, or politicians?”
Hardcastle, who was previously a classmate of Covenant School killer Audrey Hale, listed a series of concerns with the district during her comments.
“I heard you also mention that we’re closing gaps in teacher vacancies. I want the public to know that many of those are filled with uncertified teachers,” said Hardcastle. She stated, “HR withheld money from my employee paycheck, as well as many others, and then they sent out an email saying that they had to do it to pay other employees.”
Hardcastle also denied reports claiming there has been a decline in behavioral issues in Nashville schools.
“They are not,” said Hardcastle. “We are simply banned from reporting them, forcing us to keep disruptive students in the classroom.”
She told the MNPS board members, “Statistics are being skewed to protect the district, not our children. Our children cannot read and write. They cannot do basic math.”
Honored MNPS teacher resigns, alleges district leaders pressured her to falsify grades.
Samira Hardcastle, an art teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School, resigned after being named JFK's Teacher of the Year and earning Blue Ribbon Teacher of the Year honors for the district. pic.twitter.com/jBiQongQ6w
— Megan Lee Podsiedlik (@MeganLeeWrites_) August 12, 2026
Hardcastle was named a MNPS Teacher of the Year earlier this year. In 2025, she was chosen for the Blue Ribbon Teacher award by the district.
“Thriving students in my classroom are those unafraid to think outside the box,” said Hardcastle after receiving the award. “They question the boundaries of an assignment’s guidelines and push limits for greater possibilities. These characteristics reflect a student who is comfortable enough to be creative in my art class.”
According to MNPS, the award is reserved for “25 outstanding teachers who are changing lives through their excellence in teaching” within the district.
Hardcastle previously created a petition to urge the district to establish new paths to support teachers, accountability measures for administrators, compensation based on educational expertise, enforceable behavioral codes for parents, and more clearly defined job descriptions.
The video of Hardcastle’s remarks surfaced only days after Darius Williams, a teacher for a Houston, Texas, high school, received national media attention for his viral video expressing concerns about his students’ purported inability to read or write.
“I simply don’t know where the problem is. This is only day two, and I have seniors who simply cannot read, and seniors who cannot write. They cannot write,” said Williams. “They can reason, they have the ability to defend their reasoning if it’s talking to their homeboy. But applying that to a written text, two paragraphs? They couldn’t do it.”
If you only watch one video today, PLEASE watch this.
A high-school English teacher breaks down crying on camera because the high-school SENIORS in his class cannot write a SINGLE SENTENCE.
"I have SENIORS that cannot read. I have SENIORS that cannot write."
My gosh… pic.twitter.com/ZwJzBturk2
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) August 12, 2026
Questioned about his credentials after his video received widespread attention, Williams reportedly revealed he obtained a bachelor’s degree last April, is currently pursuing a master’s program in the education field at the American College of Education, and holds education certifications with the State of Texas and Texas Education Agency.
Watch Hardcastle’s comments in the full MNPS Board of Education meeting:
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
