A North Carolina father, Brandon Matthews, is taking legal action against his children’s school district. He claims the district has refused to clarify if biological males can use the same restrooms as his daughter, a fourth-grade student.
Brandon Matthews’ children attend Mount Pleasant Elementary and Mount Pleasant High School. In May, he asked the principals of both schools to inform him if any biological male was allowed to use the facilities his children use. According to Matthews’ federal lawsuit, he requested this without demanding identification of any specific student.
According to his attorney Nicholas Barry from America First Legal Foundation, Matthews is left wondering whether a male uses his daughter’s bathroom. Barry emphasizes Matthews’ constitutional right to know and argues that lacking this information leaves him in uncertainty, unable to make informed decisions.
Matthews’ case particularly concerns policies at Cabarrus County Schools, which has led to a federal lawsuit against the district, requiring them to disclose their policies on restroom and locker room access.
“Brandon Matthews does not currently know whether a male is using his fourth grade daughter’s bathroom,” Barry explained. “And does he have a constitutional right to know that? We say ‘yes.’ Without that information, he’s just in the dark.”
The controversy dates back to a May 11 school board meeting where Matthews, accompanied by his daughter, urged for gender-specific restrooms. During this meeting, his daughter voiced her discomfort at the idea of a boy following her into the girls’ restroom, labeling it inappropriate.
After sending a formal request in writing, principals responded to Matthews on June 8, indicating confidentiality in matters involving individual students. While willing to discuss specific situations if they arose, neither provided the information Matthews sought.
Matthews’ lawsuit seeks to require the district to disclose policies concerning mixed-gender restroom use. His sworn statement underlines that he has not found any written policy explaining the conditions under which students might share bathrooms with those of the opposite sex.
The case draws heavily on the Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor. This previous case involved parental rights to be notified about certain classroom instruction, and Matthews’ attorneys argue that the same principle applies to restroom privacy concerns.
The legal proceedings will determine whether schools need to disclose such policies and offer parents the chance to opt-out. This case is the second against Cabarrus County Schools by America First Legal Foundation, following another regarding restroom usage at Cox Mill High School.
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