Principal Tells Girls To ‘Go Somewhere Else’ If They’re Uncomfortable With Boys In Their Bathrooms

A North Carolina school board is refusing to protect female students in bathrooms and locker rooms, despite months of concerns from students and parents.

Trista Ruck, a junior at Cox Mill High School in Cabarrus County, addressed the Cabarrus County School Board in December of 2025 and asked them to create a policy defending female-only spaces at the school. At Ruck’s school, a male student identifying as a woman is on the football and basketball cheer team and uses women’s locker rooms and restrooms.

“Many of my peers and I feel uncomfortable using facilities designed for women and women alone, as he has different reproductive parts than we do,” Ruck said.

MASSIVE SCANDAL UNFOLDING IN @CabCoSchools

The school is allowing MALES to invade the girls’ restrooms. Girls are reportedly terrified to go to the bathroom and are holding themselves in to avoid males in their private space.

Students are begging the administration for help,… pic.twitter.com/BAwkHNFvCv

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 24, 2026

Ruck said both parents and students had discussed the problem with Cox Mill administration and the athletic director, only to be “blatantly ignored.” The school’s only response was to make special accommodations for the female students instead of for the trans-identifying student, Ruck said.

One of Ruck’s friends, who is on one of the school’s sports teams, said she noticed the male student watching her and other female students changing while in the locker room, according to Ruck.

“She stated that this made her feel extremely uncomfortable and that she did not feel safe or respected in that environment,” Ruck told the board.

The student was told to take the problems to the principal, who said it was “too political to address, and that any action might be interpreted the wrong way,” according to Ruck.

“Our school is supposed to make every student safe, but we get ostracized when we discuss this with adults who are supposed to ensure the safety and comfortability at school,” Ruck said. “Personally, I try to avoid the restrooms at all costs, but I do use these facilities at times when I really have to. I, as well as others, do not feel comfortable when an individual of the opposite gender is allowed and authorized to use our facilities.”

In addition to safety concerns over males in female spaces, avoiding using the restroom can cause health problems, including chronic pain and urinary tract infections, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Holding in urine repeatedly for long periods of time can also make it difficult to fully empty one’s bladder and can cause pelvic floor dysfunction.

Cabarrus County voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, according to election data, but despite repeated concerns, the board has refused to institute any countywide policies protecting women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.

Alexis Hughes, the founder of You Heard Her, an advocacy for female students in Cabarrus County, slammed the board for ignoring Ruck and other students at its most recent meeting on April 13, 2026.

“This is not about hate or judging any any child, and this is not about asking the board to take a position on personal beliefs or ideology,” Hughes said. “What you are responsible for is ensuring students are safe, that their privacy is protected, and that policies are clear and consistently applied.”

Hughes referenced Ruck’s comments and criticized the board for not addressing the problem.

“She came to you all for help. You heard her. You did nothing. Shame,” Hughes said. “There is nothing political about a child that feels unsafe when they are changing clothes. That is a basic expectation of privacy, and it is all of your responsibility.”

Multiple speakers at the April meeting slammed the board for not taking action to protect female students. At the end of public comment, the board carried on with usual business without addressing any of the speakers’ concerns.

“This comes down to three things: safety, privacy, and respect for every student,” Hughes told the board. “Transgender students deserve protection, but policy has to protect all students. And right now, the absence of policy is failing every single student in our district.”