David A. Norris files lawsuit against Moore County Schools

Today, Nov. 10, David A. Norris filed an injunction of relief and a temporary restraining order in a civil lawsuit against Moore County Schools for a new vote on the 32-acres on Vass-Carthage Road as a location for the new Carthage Elementary School.

Norris filed a civil summons for Superintendent Tim Locklair and Madam Chairman Robin Calcutt.

“Today I filed a Verified Petition for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in Moore County Superior Court regarding the Moore County Board of Education’s October 22, 2025, decision to purchase property for a proposed “Carthage-area” elementary school.

This case is not about where a school should be built. It is about how decisions are made and whether the public has a legal right to see and understand them.

The evidence shows that the Board voted in closed session to spend nearly half a million dollars in taxpayer funds — a clear violation of North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law (§143-318.9 et seq.).

My filing asks the Court to:

• Declare the October 22 property purchase null and void;

• Compel release of the closed-session minutes and recordings;

• Order future compliance and training under the Open Meetings Law; and

• Award court costs and fees as authorized by statute.

North Carolina law promises every citizen the right to attend, observe, and understand the actions of their public bodies. When those rights are ignored, the courts are the only remaining path to restore transparency and accountability.

I remain grateful to the citizens of Moore County who expect honesty, openness, and respect for the law in all public decisions,” Norris wrote in an email about waiting on a judge’s order.

Read the lawsuit.

The school board had not answered prior requests for land-purchase details because N.C. General Statute 143-318.11 (4) allows school boards to operate in closed sessions for the purchase of real estate.

Moore County Schools was unavailable for comment.

This article will be updated as information becomes available.

Nov. 10, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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