Cabarrus school board hears hours of public comment as community presses for bathroom policy and budget fixes

The Cabarrus County Board of Education on May 11 heard prolonged, often impassioned public comment calling for the board to take a clearer stance on bathroom and locker-room use and on the county’s school funding shortfall.

The meeting began with district recognitions and routine approvals, but the packed public-comment period, capped at three minutes per speaker, dominated the evening. Students, parents, faith leaders and local activists delivered sharply divergent accounts of recent incidents in school restrooms and pressed the board for action.

"We need to start having better conversations and have better directions for our kids," Orlando Jacobs said, identifying himself as a 40-year-old Black gay Cabarrus County resident and urging protection for all students. Several speakers, including Jennifer Kee and other parents, urged the board to treat transgender students with compassion and warned against politicizing young people.

By contrast, many parents, students and faith leaders urged the board to adopt explicit rules assigning bathrooms and locker rooms by biological sex. Ninth grader Laya Sanders cited recent state measures and federal correspondence and said those authorities allow local policies that protect single-sex private spaces. "Bathrooms and locker rooms have always been separated by sex to protect privacy, comfort, and safety," she told the board.

Other commenters tied the bathroom debate to broader staffing and funding concerns. Multiple speakers urged the board and county commissioners to resolve a budget gap that, they said, is driving program cuts and staff shortages. "Pass the budget," Ashley Price told the board, saying the district’s nearly $9 million shortfall and lack of a state budget are harming classrooms.

The board chair, Rob Walter, earlier framed the choice as one for careful public process and legal counsel. He said the board has not adopted any bathroom policy for Cabarrus County Schools and that staff should follow current law and counsel until the board acts through its public process. "Any future policy changes would occur through the board's normal public process, which gives opportunities for review and public input before any action is taken," Walter said.

Board members did not take final action on a bathroom policy at the meeting. Instead the board approved routine items: minutes from prior meetings, the consent agenda and a modification to the academic calendar (see separate item below). Chair Walter said he had added a discussion item for a future board meeting so members could address public concerns during board comments.

Speakers on both sides asked for clearer procedures at the school level to address incidents quickly and repeatedly emphasized student safety. Several parents of exceptional-children (EC) programs also urged greater transparency when living-and-learning classrooms are added or changed, saying families need timely notice.

What’s next: The board did not adopt new bathroom or locker-room rules at the May 11 meeting. Chair Walter said the board will discuss the topic at an upcoming meeting; the public can expect the board to accept more written materials and to hear additional testimony before any formal policy vote.

Article sources: Public comments and board discussion at the May 11, 2026 Cabarrus County Board of Education business meeting.