CANTON, Miss. (WJTV) – Leaders with the Canton Public School District remained tight-lipped on Wednesday after an alleged testing scandal that may have led to the termination of more than a dozen teachers.

Nichols Middle School is at the center of the alleged scandal after possible “testing irregularities” were noticed in 6th and 7th grade math.

Accountability data from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) showed that the school went from a “D” to a “B” school in just one year.

Parents and community members are concerned. They’re seeking answers after they were told about a dozen teachers were fired.

“I feel like they should never done it, and I hope my teachers don’t do that to me. See if the teachers can test for you, you’re not going to be on the right, you know, grade level. You trust me, and I’m glad you never done it because it’s like not right, and teachers know better,” said Denasia Baker, a Canton student.

Data from 2021-22 showed a math growth overview of 94.7 percent for the middle school.

“I feel like it’s not giving the students like the chance to you know, like show what they learned,” said Shaniya Pittman, a Canton student.

WJTV 12 News reached out to MDE for a comment about the incident, but they said they cannot comment.