How to Fill Out the Cabarrus County Safe Schools Enrollment Form

To enroll a transferring student in Cabarrus County Schools, a parent or guardian must complete the Cabarrus County Safe Schools enrollment form, a short sworn affidavit stating whether the child is currently under suspension or expulsion from any school and whether the child has been convicted of a felony. You download the form from your child’s assigned school, answer the two questions, sign it in front of a notary, and return it with the rest of the enrollment packet. North Carolina law requires it under G.S. 115C-366(a4).¹

Who Has to File One

Every student transferring into the district needs a completed affidavit before enrollment is final, whether they are coming from another North Carolina district, out of state, or a private school. The requirement is not limited to students with disciplinary history. The only child who does not need one is a child who has never attended any public or private school before.¹

Where to Download the Form

Individual Cabarrus County schools post the Safe Schools form on their enrollment pages, usually as a downloadable Word file. W.R. Odell Elementary, for example, provides a direct download link with instructions to complete and return the form to the school.² If you cannot find or open the file, call the registrar at the school where your child will enroll and ask for a printed copy.

What the Form Asks

The affidavit is a single page. It tracks the language of G.S. 115C-366(a4) almost word for word, asking the parent to affirm two things: that the child is not currently under suspension or expulsion from any public or private school in any state, and that the child has not been convicted of a felony in any state.¹ You write in the child’s full legal name, print your own name, and sign and date the document.

Most families answer “no” to both questions and move on. If you cannot, disclose it. The form is a sworn statement, and false information carries legal consequences that can include removal of the student and criminal charges against the signer.³ Honest disclosure does not automatically block enrollment. It triggers a review, covered below.

One thing to hold off on: do not sign at home. Leave the signature line blank until you are standing in front of a notary.

Getting It Notarized

Try the school first. Cabarrus County schools often have a notary on staff, and West Cabarrus High School lets parents book an appointment with the school notary online as part of enrollment.⁴ This is usually the fastest option and often free.

If no school notary is available, banks, UPS stores, and shipping centers also offer notary services. North Carolina caps notary fees at ten dollars per signature for an in-person notarization, fifteen dollars for electronic notarization, and twenty-five dollars for remote online notarization.⁵ Bring a valid photo ID. The notary will verify your identity, watch you sign, and apply the seal.

Where to Turn It In

Give the completed, notarized form to the registrar at the school where your child will enroll. Some schools tell parents to download, complete, and return it directly to the school.² If the registrar directs you to a central office instead, follow that instruction. The default destination is the school.

The school will not finalize enrollment without the notarized affidavit. If the rest of your documents are in order but this one is missing, your child’s start date is pushed back until you deliver it.

If You Disclosed a Suspension, Expulsion, or Felony

Honest disclosure opens a review, not an automatic denial. Under G.S. 115C-366(a5), the local board can deny admission or attach reasonable conditions to enrollment. For a student still serving a suspension, the board can hold off enrollment until the suspension period expires. For a student who was expelled for behavior that constituted a clear threat to the safety of students or staff, or who has a felony conviction, the board can deny admission entirely.¹

A reasonable condition might mean placement in an alternative education program rather than the regular school.⁶ The district may also schedule an interview with the parent and student before making a final placement decision.

A denial is not necessarily final. A student denied admission after an expulsion or felony conviction may ask the board to reconsider under G.S. 115C-390.12.¹ Ask the district how to invoke that process and what documentation to bring.

Students who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act keep an additional protection. Even if the board denies regular admission under subsection (a5), the district must still provide educational services to that student at the level it would have provided had the student been enrolled in the district at the time of the original suspension or expulsion.¹

Homeless and Foster Students

Federal law overrides the paperwork requirement for certain students. Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a school must immediately enroll a homeless child or youth even if the family cannot produce records that are normally required, including the Safe Schools affidavit. The enrolling school then contacts the previous school to obtain records after the fact.⁷ Children in foster care have a similar protection under the Every Student Succeeds Act when they do not remain at their school of origin. If your family qualifies under either program, tell the school registrar right away so the designated liaison can enroll your child without delay.

1
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 115C-366 – Assignment of Student to a Particular School
2
Cabarrus County Schools. Enrollment Form: Safe Schools Form – W R Odell Elementary
3
North Carolina General Assembly. Session Law 2021-9 House Bill 53
4
Cabarrus County Schools. New Enrollment/Change of Address Info – West Cabarrus High School
5
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-31 – Fees for Notarial Acts
6
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 115C Article 27 – Discipline
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 11432 – Grants for State and Local Activities for the Education of Homeless Children and Youths