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Lawyers have agreed to a settlement in a long-simmering multiplaintiff case brought by five former Metro Nashville Public Schools administrators against the district and Director of Schools Adrienne Battle.
The plaintiffs allege that Battle retaliated against them, pushing them out of top district jobs after she took over the central office. One of the plaintiffs complained about a Black History Month lesson that her elementary school student child participated in, which made national news. Others alleged they recommended the dismissal of Battle's brother, a basketball coach in the system, after a physical fight with a parent. Another said she was targeted because her cousin was suing the school system. At the same time, one administrator alleged his job was targeted because he had investigated a claim of grade falsification at a district school. The plaintiffs stated that they had been removed from their high-level positions in retaliation, not — as the system indicated — as part of a budgetary move and leadership reorganization.
"When the pandemic initially hit, there was lots of unknowns for all of us," Battle said in a 2022 deposition. "And we were making the most informed decisions for our organization at the time to make sure that we could carry forward and continue to educate our students."
The settlement is one of the largest in MNPS history.
The original suit was filed in 2020. Other complaints were consolidated with the original one in the ensuing years. The settlement is expected to be considered by the MNPS board at its meeting on Tuesday, the same day a trial was set to begin. Sources tell the Nashville Banner that the settlement with the five plaintiffs will total approximately $6.5 million. That number includes lost wages and future economic damages and other claims that are not subject to the usual $300,000 cap on damages.
Settlement negotiations a year ago were unsuccessful, according to court records.
Lawsuit alleges district failed to protect students from harm
A district court judge in 2023 dismissed several of the allegations, but a federal appeals court panel later partially reversed the decision.
The appeals court panel questioned the district's claims about the budgetary necessity of the moves, given that the district's budget increased that year.
An attorney for the plaintiffs declined to comment. Metro Legal also declined to comment. In other recent legal settlements involving the city, Metro Legal attorneys have told elected officials that jury trials can be unpredictable, and a negative result would be compounded by extensive attorneys' fees for the plaintiff.
Update, July 17, 1 p.m.:Â A spokesperson for MNPS sent this statement explaining the district's rationale for settlement:
"We maintain that decisions regarding leadership structure, hiring, and retention were made in good faith and with the best interests of MNPS students and staff in mind. The positive results we’ve seen across the district affirm that these were the right decisions. While we are confident in the strength of our legal position, the cases involved complex claims dating back several years. Given the uncertainty of a jury trial, we determined that settlement agreements were the most prudent path forward. This resolution, which still requires Board approval, avoids further legal costs and allows the district to focus fully on its mission of serving students."
This article first appeared on Nashville Banner and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
