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Public commenters press Cabarrus County Schools board on bathroom policies and superintendent residency
Summary
At the July 13 board meeting, parents questioned bathroom policies and raised formal concerns about whether Superintendent Doctor John Capicki meets North Carolina's residency requirement; the board took no immediate disciplinary action and did not vote on the allegation, which public speakers said they will support with records.
Rob Walter, chair of the Cabarrus County Schools board, opened the July 13 meeting and allotted the public-comment period to four speakers.
Daniel Hicks, who identified himself as "a concerned parent" with a student at West Cabarrus High School, challenged the district's use of a statistic that "only 2 percent of incidents happen in bathrooms," arguing that bathrooms lack staff and that students may not report incidents while trying to avoid being tardy. Hicks said some bathrooms are closed or cordoned off and said entrance staffing at his son's school is irregular; he urged trustees to seek direct student feedback and teacher-level staff input rather than relying only on incident reports.
Alexis Hughes, speaking for an advocacy group called You Heard Her, urged the board to investigate whether Superintendent Doctor John Capicki complies with North Carolina General Statute 115C-272, which requires superintendents to reside in the county they serve. Hughes said public records show Capicki is registered to vote in Pennsylvania, owns a home and vehicles there and has traveled to Pennsylvania to vote as recently as the 2024 general election. "If those public records do not tell the complete story, by all means, please enlighten us," Hughes said, adding that she had submitted a public-records request for Capicki's employment contract and planned to deliver a formal letter and supporting records to the board and state oversight officials if the district did not act.
Other speakers addressed similar concerns or urged stronger policies. One commenter asked for the superintendent's resignation and used profane language; another speaker, Brandon Matthews, said he had received a certified letter from Chair Rob Walter threatening to ban him from meetings and repeated calls for stricter bathroom rules to keep boys out of girls' restrooms.
The board did not take formal action on the residency allegation during the meeting. Chair Walter accepted the speakers' comments, reminded the audience of decorum rules and moved the meeting to the regular agenda. Hughes told trustees she had also provided her letter to the State Board of Education and legislative education oversight officials.
What comes next: Hughes said she would hand a formal letter with supporting public records to the board before the meeting concluded; the board did not announce any immediate inquiry or timeline at the public meeting.
