Christ the King parents want accountability after Huntersville Catholic school prank

Students entered Christ The King Catholic High School after hours on April 22 to stage a senior prank.

They taped up yearbook photos of former classmates who left the Huntersville school prior to graduation, each accompanied by derogatory descriptions like “had no friends” and “got no girls,” though no obscene language was used. A parent shared a video of the display with The Charlotte Observer.

The display was titled “The Graveyard Class of 2026: Those Who Couldn’t Make It,” a parent said. Three parents of students whose images were included in the display spoke with The Observer. They each requested anonymity to avoid further scrutiny of their children.

Students took videos of the photos, which soon began to circulate social media and among the school community.

Now, parents of students targeted by the display want accountability – and a national organization is getting involved. Christ The King’s principal said the school has abided by its student handbook in response to the incident.

Outside group gets involved

The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation – also called the Uvalde Foundation for Kids – works to combat “violence in its physical and cultural forms across the nation,” according to its website. It was founded in the aftermath of the May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Last week, it announced plans to examine the incident at Christ the King. It’s an expansion of a review of bullying and school safety concerns within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte that the foundation began in 2024, following allegations of locker room bullying at Charlotte Catholic High School.

“We are now hearing from multiple families, not just one,” Daniel Chapin, founder of The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation said in a news release. “When separate households independently raise similar concerns, it signals a broader issue that requires review beyond a single incident.”

In a May 5 email to the school, which the foundation shared with The Observer, it requested information about the timeline and nature of the school’s response to the incident and if affected families were notified.

The parents said they initially heard about the incident from other parents and students, rather than the school. Each said they wanted a formal apology from Christ The King and the students who orchestrated the prank as well as transparency about what the school is doing in response.

How Christ the King is responding

One parent said their child left the school due to social isolation and worries this incident is indicative of a larger culture issue within the school.

The parents also are concerned about whether discipline was issued fairly, claiming students from wealthy families or who are related to school employees received lenient punishments.

Mark Tolcher, principal of Christ The King, told The Observer that the school launched an investigation into the incident the day after it occurred. Involved students turned themselves in, he said, and received punishments ranging from suspension to removal from school activities and groups.

Despite allegations of differential treatment, Tolcher said punishments were issued according to the discipline policies and procedures in the school’s parent and student handbook.

“Christ the King High School has a strict policy that prohibits bullying and harassment of any kind, with consequences for anyone involved in such behavior,” Tolcher said in an email. “Our policy clearly outlines our expectations for our students and reminds all that ‘we are called to treat one another with love, as fellow children of God.’ ”