Nashville teacher Mario Mumphery was fired after multiple students reported he took videos and photos of them then altered them, without their consent, with artificial intelligence in "inappropriate" ways.
The Metro Nashville Public Schools board voted unanimously to terminate Mumphery from his tenured position at Nashville Big Picture High School during its regular meeting on July 28. The school, which had 125 students enrolled as of 2025, is part of the international Big Picture Learning network of schools that focus on project-based learning, and building community, leadership and innovation skills.
A July 7 letter from MNPS Director Adrienne Battle to Mumphery said after altering the images and videos, he would often share them with other
students. Students said some videos showed them dancing, moving "their hips in weird ways" or in ways that students felt were inappropriate. The altered images also portrayed students in personal and family situations.
In one instance, Mumphery showed a video of two male students "twerking" to an entire class, the letter said. Another student said the teacher altered photos he took of students into "teddy bear style" or cartoon pictures.
"Students reported that these actions made them feel extremely uncomfortable," Battle wrote.
One student told school leaders that Mumphery would text students after school hours and ask where they were. Another said he was among those Mumphery texted outside of school hours.
"He said while you never texted him anything explicit, you would be very pushy and adamant that he respond quickly to your texts, and that you would get angry if he didn't respond quickly enough to suit you," Battle stated in the letter.
The letter also said Mumphery would insert himself into conversations with students and say things like "students don't want to be in relationships, they just want to have sex." When speaking to a male student about a female student he was dating, the letter said Mumphery told the boy, "You don't like her, you just want to have sex with her."
DCS investigates Nashville teacher
Mumphery was placed on a three-day suspension without pay from Jan. 13-15 for inappropriate physical contact and communication with a student and insubordination, according to the letter. The insubordination stemmed from Mumphery's attempt to influence the statements of other staff members during an investigation leading up to the suspension, the letter said.
After investigating and interviewing multiple students, Brenda Diaz, the principal of Big Picture High, reported Mumphery to the Metro Nashville Police Department and Tennessee Department of Children's Services, the letter said. It stated DCS then opened two investigations into him.
"DCS is aware of the publicly released MNPS letter and can confirm the department is actively investigating a matter referenced in that document," DCS spokesperson Ashley Zarach told The Tennessean in a July 28 email.
Zarach said that due to confidentiality laws, the department couldn't provide further details.
MNPD spokesperson Brooke Reese said Mumphery did not have any history of arrests in Davidson County. She did not answer questions about whether MNPD investigated him after the report, the status or outcome of any investigation into him, or if any charges were expected to be filed against Mumphery.
Mumphery did not respond to an attempt from The Tennessean to contact him on July 28.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee investigates teacher fired over AI-altered student images
