NC Court Allows School Merger

CHARLOTTE — The North Carolina Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower-court ruling allowing the consolidation of the Kings Mountain School District into Cleveland County schools. The ruling comes after the Kings Mountain School Board and local parents challenged the merger, contending that it did not follow proper procedure. Three districts traditionally have existed in Cleveland County: Cleveland County Schools, Shelby City Schools, and Kings Mountain District Schools. In 2000, the State Board of Education approved a merger plan adopted by the Cleveland County Commission to combine the three districts.