Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reverses claim about Charlie Kirk tribute ‘vandalism’
A south Charlotte high school completely reversed its statement last month that called a rock painted in honor of conservative media personality Charlie Kirk “vandalism.”
The weekend of Sept. 13, a group of students at Ardrey Kell High School painted a large rock in front of the school – known as the “spirit rock” – with a tribute to Kirk, who was assassinated at a Utah university Sept. 10. The school’s principal Susan Nichols later sent a message to families saying the tribute was “vandalism” and violated the CMS Code of Student Conduct. It also said law enforcement had been contacted and the school was cooperating with the investigation.
However, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools now says none of that is the case. The Charlotte Observer’s news partner WSOC-TV first reported on the reversal.
“On September 14, 2025, a communication was shared with families from Dr. Nichols. While this message was prepared by our Communications Division, it did not fully reflect the details as reported by Principal Nichols,” CMS said in a message to Ardrey Kell parents Saturday. A parent shared it with The Charlotte Observer.
The message went on to clarify that the incident was not vandalism, it did not violate the district’s Code of Student Conduct and law enforcement was not contacted to conduct and investigation.
“The incident did cause a disruption within our school community,” the message said. “Therefore, Dr. Nichols responded by establishing guidelines for the use of the Spirit Rock.”
The spirit rock sits at the entrance of Ardrey Kell’s campus and operates like a billboard. It’s often painted with messages for students’ birthdays or messages of school spirit before football games.
Following Kirk’s death, it was painted with the message “Live like Kirk” along with “Freedom 1776” and a Bible verse.
The school sent out an email clarifying that the rock is “not to be used for personal, political or religious messages” following the incident last month.
