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Parents and students press board over restroom safety, Title IX inquiry; calls for accountability and superintendent resignation
Summary
Dozens of public commenters addressed a Department of Education Title IX investigation into restroom access and student safety; speakers alleged underreporting, intimidation, and a lack of transparency and some demanded the superintendent’s resignation; the superintendent said the district is cooperating with federal investigators.
A large public comment block at the June 8 Cabarrus County Board of Education meeting centered on student restroom safety, an ongoing Department of Education/Title IX inquiry, and accusations about the district’s handling of prior concerns.
Superintendent John Kopicki told the board the district is "fully cooperating with the investigation" and reiterated that "Cabarrus County Schools will always follow the law..." He said the district provides private, single-user restrooms and that incidents reported in bathrooms represented a small share of overall disciplinary incidents (about 2.4% in 2025–26), with the majority involving vaping, vandalism, or fighting.
Several public commenters disputed that framing. Student Trista Rock testified she faced harassment, death threats and intimidation after raising bathroom concerns and said the district’s response has been dismissive. Parent and advocacy speakers argued the 2% figure could undercount incidents because bathrooms are less supervised and because some students fear reporting.
"Citing a statistic that only 2% of incidents occur in bathrooms is not an argument against policy," said Alexis Hughes of the advocacy group You Heard Her, who urged proactive policy to protect vulnerable students and asserted that underreporting and pressure on students to remain silent mean the figure could be misleading.
Other commenters pressed for transparency and documents; Alexis Hughes referenced public‑records litigation in a previous district as a reason to be skeptical of the superintendent's assurances. Jay Shineman called on Superintendent Kopicki to "stand up and do what is right" and resign effective immediately.
District counsel Dave Stevens said the board and staff are closely monitoring related Supreme Court decisions (EEOC v. Little; West Virginia v. BPJ) and expected opinions by late June or early July. The superintendent emphasized student privacy protections and legal limitations on what the district can disclose publicly while investigations are pending.
No formal personnel action was taken at the meeting. The public comment period produced multiple allegations and calls for remedies; members of the board acknowledged hearing the concerns and said staff would continue to cooperate with investigators and review safety protocols, supervision practices, and code-of-conduct procedures.
Next steps: The superintendent said the district will review safety protocols over the summer, maintain single-user restroom options, and evaluate whether additional supervision or procedural changes are needed; the board did not vote on any immediate changes during the meeting.
