School district pays $95K settlement for violating student’s constitutional rights over Charlie Kirk tribute
June 17, 2026
A North Carolina school district accused of censoring an on-campus student tribute to conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk has agreed to pay a settlement of $95,000 in attorneys’ fees and damages.
The Christian Post reports that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education was sued last year by a high school student and her parents after removing a painted tribute to Kirk shortly after it was completed.
On Monday, the nonprofit legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented the student, announced that it had reached a settlement with school district officials.
Under the settlement, the settlement, the board of education agreed to pay $95,000 in assorted fees, clear the student of all wrongdoing and adopt a new student speech policy for the schools.
ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham stated in the announcement that it was “long past time for school officials to learn that they cannot promote student viewpoints they like while punishing students whose views they dislike.”
Shortly after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed last September, a student at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, identified in court documents as “G.S.,” decided to paint a tribute to Kirk on the school’s spirit rock.
G.S. painted the statement “Live Like Kirk” and included the statement “John 11:25,” which reads “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
In response to her painted message, the high school principal sent out a message to the campus community claiming that the tribute was unauthorized and had it painted over hours later.
According to the Christian Post, the rock was often painted with messages from students, including support for sports teams and political messages like Black Lives Matter.
According to the complaint filed late last year, school officials went so far as to call the Kirk tribute on the rock “vandalism” and claimed that authorities had been contacted in response.
Following the settlement, Barham said, “We hope the new policy prevents school officials from subjecting any other students to the abuse our client experienced and will instead force them to respect every student’s constitutional rights.”
Photo: top, Credit: Alliance Defending Freedom