{"id":1676,"date":"2026-06-16T05:03:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1676"},"modified":"2026-06-16T05:03:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:03:40","slug":"cms-settles-student-lawsuit-over-charlie-kirk-tribute-on-ardrey-kell-spirit-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1676","title":{"rendered":"CMS settles student lawsuit over Charlie Kirk tribute on Ardrey Kell spirit rock"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education settled a lawsuit over the district\u2019s handling of a tribute to political activist Charlie Kirk painted on a high school spirit rock, the board announced Monday.<\/p>\n

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The deal includes an agreement for the board to pay nearly $100,000 in damages and attorneys\u2019 fees, the group representing the family who sued said.<\/p>\n

The parents of an Ardrey Kell High School student filed the lawsuit in December<\/a>. They alleged the district violated their daughter\u2019s freedom of speech after the student painted the spirit rock outside the south Charlotte school in tribute to Kirk after he was assassinated in September<\/a>. The painted messages said \u201cLive like Kirk; John 11:25\u201d and \u201cFreedom 1776.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rock, which sits at the entrance to Ardrey Kell, operates like a billboard and is often painted with messages for students\u2019 birthdays or messages of school spirit.<\/p>\n

The school\u2019s principal, Susan Nichols, sent a message to families Sept. 14 saying the tribute was unauthorized, and it was painted over, The Charlotte Observer reported previously<\/a>. Nichols\u2019 original message called the painting \u201cvandalism\u201d and said it violated the CMS Code of Student Conduct. It also said law enforcement had been contacted and the school was cooperating with the investigation.<\/p>\n

But the district reversed course in October<\/a>, saying the painting was not vandalism and didn\u2019t violate the district\u2019s Code of Student Conduct. CMS also said law enforcement was not contacted to investigate the incident.<\/p>\n

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The painting \u201cdid not violate the Code of Student Conduct or other school system policies in place at the time,\u201d the board reiterated in its Monday statement announcing the settlement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not an act of vandalism, and the school did not report the incident to law enforcement. The Board regrets that the student had this experience,\u201d the latest statement said.<\/p>\n

The Alliance Defending Freedom<\/a>, a nonprofit Christian legal advocacy group that represented the student\u2019s family in the case, said in a separate statement Monday the CMS board agreed to adopt a new student speech policy, \u201cexonerate the student\u201d and pay $95,000 in damages and attorneys\u2019 fees.<\/p>\n

The school board adopted a new \u201cStudent Free Speech\u201d policy<\/a> last week, Monday\u2019s CMS statement noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Board fully supports students exercising their right to free speech that ensures that schools remain safe places for all of our students and promotes productive civic discourse,\u201d Board Vice Chair Gregory \u201cDee\u201d Rankin said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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Observer reporter Rebecca Noel contributed reporting.<\/i><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 11:50 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says it\u2019s settled a lawsuit involving Ardrey Kell High School and a Charlie Kirk tribute painted on a spirit rock in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nCMS settles student lawsuit over Charlie Kirk tribute on Ardrey Kell spirit rock - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1676\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CMS settles student lawsuit over Charlie Kirk tribute on Ardrey Kell spirit rock - 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