A former employee with the Hempstead School District claims he was fired for exposing the district's policy of changing some failing grades to passing.

Carlos Ramirez was the director of technology at the school district until he was fired last week. Today, he joined his attorney in announcing a lawsuit against the district.

"I feel like I'm getting punished for bringing up something that was wrong," Ramirez says.

As News 12 has reported, Ramirez says he was asked to change students' grades of 63 and 64 to passing grade of 65. He says he was asked to do it for all students in sixth through 12th grades. Ramirez says he asked the deputy superintendent to make the request in writing, and then told district officials that "it was wrong."

The next day, he was fired and sent home.

Ramirez claims he was told to boost grades so that Superintendent Susan Johnson would get a bonus if she increased the graduation rate in the district. Hempstead currently has a graduation rate at 38 percent, one of the lowest performing districts on Long Island.

On Friday, the Hempstead Board of Education agreed to end the district's policy of boosting students' grades.