Accolades
- Teachers and parents work together to create an inclusive community of learning.
- Students are intrinsically motivated as lifelong learners through hands-on teaching and an integrated curriculum.
- Students are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyle practices for social, emotional and physical health.
- Teachers are empowered to meet the needs of students on an individual basis.
- The Corvian Way guides all members of the Corvian Community.
Corvian Community School develops the whole child and seeks to address the cognitive, emotional, social and physical needs of each student. The ultimate goal is to help students develop happy, healthy lives well-equipped for the future.
Corvian Community School believes that every child can and will succeed in ways that reflect his or her own aptitudes, interests, and healthful lifestyle practices. Our mission is to implement the principles of Dr. Ernest Boyer’s Basic School Philosophy in order to provide an optimal learning environment in which:
Mission and Vision
Our dedicated school leaders at Corvian Community School are passionate educators committed to fostering a supportive, innovative, and inclusive environment that empowers students, staff, and families to thrive together.
Our School Leaders
administrators
nicki
sinclair
Rebekah
DiGavero
Jen
Rolls
Christopher Shaffer
holly chapman
Tarrah Jackson
Sierra
Davis
Our dedicated school leaders at Corvian Community School are passionate educators committed to fostering a supportive, innovative, and inclusive environment that empowers students, staff, and families to thrive together.
Our School Leaders
administrators
Nicki is passionate about ensuring the long-term health and well-being of the school, its students, and its staff, and she is so excited to lead Corvian into the future.
Nicki Sinclair graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education/ English from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 1998. She has a Master's degree in Executive Leadership from Gardner Webb University and has held her North Carolina K-12 Principal License since 2011.
Nicki has over 22 years of experience in education. She launched her career teaching 8th grade language arts in Davidson County before moving to Charlotte in 2003. In CMS, she taught high school English and middle school language arts for several years. Nicki then had the opportunity to begin teaching at another local charter school where she taught 7th grade language arts for seven years and served as team lead for three of those years. During her time as team lead, Nicki collaborated with teachers and families to ensure student success, built a strong grade-level community, and was able to confirm her desire to help teachers and positively impact students from an administrative position. During this time, Nicki earned her Master's degree and served as a principal intern.
Nicki's belief in seeing students as individual learners with individual needs is what drew her to Corvian Community School in 2015. Initially, she served as the principal of the middle school while simultaneously planning for the launch of the high school. In 2018, Nicki became the Director of High School Education and built the high school program from the ground up, adding one grade every year. She presided over the first two graduating classes and saw students matriculate to various colleges and universities, including competitive schools like Davidson, Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, and NC State. Under Nicki's leadership, the high school earned accreditation through Cognia, navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, was placed on the College Board Honor Roll for its strong AP program, and exceeded growth based on NCDPI metrics. She did all of this while staying true to the basic school philosophy that Corvian was founded on, creating a strong, inclusive community of learning.
During the 2023-2024 school year, Nicki transitioned to the role of Executive Director. In this role, she led efforts to address gaps in Corvian's policies, improve communication with parents and staff, nurture a working relationship with the Cardinal PAC, reestablish the Cardinal Athletic Boosters, and restructure a variety of financial, curricular, and personnel matters.
Nicki Sinclair,
Executive Director
nicki
sinclair
Christopher is committed to raising the bar of excellence to achieve amazing outcomes for students and families.
Christopher started his education journey as a CMS teacher at University Meadows Elementary School. He was then selected to be one of the founding team leaders to launch Berewick Elementary School where he led both third grade and kindergarten. During his time at Berewick, he earned his National Board Teacher Certification.
Christopher then found himself relocating to Rochester, New York where he worked for 13 years at Uncommon Schools. There, he served as Dean of Curriculum and Instruction where he wrote and oversaw all curriculum, led the school’s data response planning, as well as led the school in the capacity of assistant principal. As Christopher led, he earned his master's degree in educational leadership both at the building and district level from St. John Fisher University. After that, from 2014-2016, Christopher decided to expand his leadership knowledge and achieved the highest distinction at the Relay Graduate School of Education’s National Principal Academy Fellowship.
In 2016, Christopher opened his own school in the heart of Rochester. During this time, he demonstrated a proven track record of achieving great results for students. Most recently his 3rd and 4th graders surpassed the home district by more than 50% in math and exceeded the New York State average in both 3rd and 4th grades on the New York State Test. Christopher also led his school in being the model for the integration of social and emotional learning. He and his entire team were professionally recorded to serve as a resource for other schools across the country. Christopher’s focus on the whole child has allowed many teachers and students to flourish under his leadership. In recent years Christopher was one of three of Uncommon Schools' Elementary Principals of the Year and Founder’s Award recipients.
In his last two years at Uncommon Christopher served in the role of Senior Principal. During this time, he continued to run his own school while coaching and supporting other leaders across multiple campuses. This allowed him to expand his impact beyond his own campus and bring alignment to the region.
This year, Christopher achieved the status of Platinum Leader (the highest level of distinction) at the Leverage Leader Institute, a program that selects 20 of the best school leaders from across the country, demonstrating excellence in the areas of staff culture, student culture, data driven instruction, observation and feedback, professional development, and curriculum and planning.
Now Christopher finds himself back in Charlotte to be closer to his family. He, his husband Steven, and two dogs Bubbas and Mabel are so happy to be back where it all started.
Christopher Shaffer,
Elementary School Principal
Christopher Shaffer
Holly is excited about the direction that Corvian is going and is looking forward to finding even more student success in the new elementary school building in August.
Holly Chapman graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She also received her Master’s degree from UNC Charlotte with a focus on gifted education, and is currently in the school administration add-on licensure program at UNC Wilmington to obtain her K-12 principal license.
She began her teaching career in Fort Riley, KS where her husband was stationed with the Air Force. She taught second grade on post and loved the community within the military families. She found Corvian in 2013 and has been here ever since. From the moment she walked through Corvian’s doors, she fell in love with its whole-child philosophy, nurturing atmosphere, and community feel. Throughout her years at Corvian, she has taught second, third, and fifth grades, as well as served as Corvian's AIG coordinator/teacher and testing coordinator. She launched Corvian’s first AIG program in 2016 and provided resources to teachers to enrich instruction within the general education setting. During her time as testing coordinator, she ensured compliance with state-mandated policies. In her role as Associate Director of Elementary Education she assists in managing the day to day building operations, providing instructional leadership and professional development to staff, and overseeing curriculum development activities. She is passionate about building positive relationships with students, parents, and staff. She is committed to ensuring the development of the whole child: cognitively, physically, and social-emotionally.
Holly currently lives in Denver with her husband and their two children. She enjoys baking, exercising, crafting, and spending time with her family.
Holly Chapman,
Elementary Assistant Principal
holly chapman
Tarrah is excited to be a part of the Corvian School Community family and is committed to moving Corvian onward and upward.
Tarrah Jackson is a veteran educator with over twenty years of experience in both public and charter school settings. Tarrah earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from Ohio University in 1999. After serving as a special education teacher for a year with Princeton City Schools, she accepted a full scholarship to Northeastern Illinois University to pursue a Master of Arts in Inner City Studies. While earning her Master’s degree, she interned as a graduate student Archivist for the Secretary of State and worked as a special education teacher in a K-8 Chicago Public School.
After completing her Master’s degree in 2002, she continued to work as a special educator in multiple districts, teaching both elementary and middle school students for the next thirteen years. During this time she continued to hone her skills in the areas of literacy and leadership. While teaching middle school English in Flint, Michigan, she became a certified Wilson Reading practitioner, trained staff in Step Up to Writing, and served on the district level compliance monitoring team. She continued to teach Reading after relocating to Fairfax County, VA. While teaching middle school there, she participated in a year-long intensive professional development focused on Adolescent Literacy with Kyleene Beers and Bob Probst. This allowed her to partner with staff within her school and district wide.
In 2009, her family relocated to the Charlotte area and Tarrah began working as a K-5 special education teacher for Rock Hill Schools. During her tenure there she was recognized multiple times for her contributions to the educational community. Tarrah was awarded Teacher of the Year and received district awards for Quality Instruction and Design and Creating a Nurturing Environment. In an effort to share her experience and knowledge with others she began providing district level professional development and serving on district level committees related to improving student learning outcomes. In 2015, while working in Rock Hill Schools, she earned a Master of Arts in Executive Leadership from Gardner Webb University. In 2017, and wanting to be closer to home, she began working as a special education teacher at a Charlotte area charter school. At the same time she held a position at Winthrop University as an adjunct professor, teaching a course on Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities. The following year she transitioned into the role of K-5 Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction. During her six years of service as an Assistant Principal, Tarrah has enjoyed building relationships with students as well as partnering with staff and families to create a school culture that is committed to student growth and excellence.
When not at school you can find Tarrah in the stands cheering on her sons in various sports. She is an avid reader, who also enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Tarrah Jackson,
Middle School Principal
Tarrah Jackson
Sierra is excited to continue learning and growing alongside the Corvian staff, faculty and students!
Sierra Davis is a passionate, thoughtful and collaborative educator and school leader. Sierra graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018. In May 2024, Sierra will receive her Master’s degree, also from UNC, in School Administration and will be a candidate for licensure through NCDPI.
Sierra has been teaching for 5 years, working with students ranging from Kindergarten to 6th grade. In 2021, Sierra started her very own private tutoring and consulting business where she worked with teachers and students K-12. Sierra has also held several leadership positions, such as PLC leader, New Teacher Coach and completed a Principal Internship as part of her Master’s degree program.
Sierra’s education philosophy centers on equitable, culturally-responsive, best practices for instruction and possesses a deeply held belief that all children can learn given the appropriate support.
Sierra Davis,
Middle School Assistant Principal
Sierra
Davis
Rebekah looks forward to continuing to partner with teachers and families as Corvian continues to grow and thrive.
Rebekah DiGavero has over 20 years of teaching experience ranging from grades 3-12. In the classroom, she helps students succeed by building an authentic learning community marked by student choice, skills-based coaching, and a growth mindset. Rebekah has a proven track record of helping her students achieve strong results on end-of-grade and AP testing. In addition to teaching in the classroom, Rebekah has served in a variety of administrative roles in private, public, and charter schools that have allowed her to advocate for students and teachers. She has extensive experience in providing professional development, managing vertical alignment, and developing academic programs across subject areas and grade levels.
Rebekah holds a Bachelor's Degree in English Education, as well as a Master's in English Education with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. She is certified to teach three AP courses and, over the years, many of her classes have achieved a 100% pass rate.
Rebekah joined Corvian in 2018 when the high school launched. In various capacities, she has collaborated with staff and administration to build a strong academic program and to develop student programming including Corvian's Student Ambassador Program, the AP Capstone Program, and Corvian’s chapter of Key Club. Additionally, she played a vital role in developing student recognition opportunities. Rebekah also serves as the Director of Camp Corvian and has built it into a thriving program. At Corvian, Rebekah works with other administrators to strengthen the academic program and provide support to teachers in the classroom.
Rebekah DiGavero,
High School Principal
Rebekah
DiGavero
Jen is excited to serve on the administrative team at Corvian Community School and contribute to the mission and vision of supporting the whole child and developing high achieving, happy, healthy students.
Jen Rolls holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a Master’s degree in Education and Human Development from the University of Colorado, Denver, where her focus on adolescent brain development and executive function skills informs her approach to guiding students toward college readiness.
With over twenty years of experience, Jen has served in various roles in all levels of education, from teaching and coaching middle school students to her most recent position as the Associate Director of Family Engagement at Davidson College. Her tenure with Quantum Learning took her across the globe, teaching students in the US, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where she emphasized building relationships, communication skills and literacy. Prior to relocating to North Carolina, Jen served as the Dean of Academic and Career Advising at Colorado Early Colleges, where she led the academic advising team, designed and taught college readiness courses, and empowered students to achieve post-secondary credentials upon high school graduation. Certified as an Academic Life Coach, Clifton Strengths Coach, and Global Career Development Facilitator, Jen is deeply committed to helping students understand their unique strengths and learning styles to achieve academic excellence.
Jen values a school environment where students and families feel a sense of belonging, safety, and community, viewing education as more than just a curriculum but as a transformative journey toward personal and academic growth.
Jen Rolls,
High School Assistant Principal
Jen
Rolls
Jessica Culpepper
Ed Franklin
The Corvian Community School (CCS) Board of Directors meet on the third Tuesday of each month. Board meetings are open to the public and follow the Open Meetings Law of the North Carolina General Assembly.
Jesh humphries
Drew polly
Heather Hucks
Kelley Impoco
Michelle spencer
Board of Directors
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Board Chair
Ed Franklin
Ed Franklin has served as Board Chair since 2012 and is currently the Senior Vice President at Bank of America, where he holds the position of Business Controls Manager for Global Marketing. In this role, Ed is responsible for ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations for over thirty processes encapsulating producing creative, approving creative, and executing creative in various marketing channels.
Previously, Ed has held various roles including Supplier Diversity Manager, Senior Program Manager, and Property and Project Manager. Prior to joining Bank of America, he worked at Jacobs Engineering, providing construction sourcing support for AMTRAK’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 projects in the eastern United States. He also served at Wachovia/Wells Fargo as the sourcing lead for the 50-story Duke Energy Center project, the administrative office portfolio, and the international portfolio. Additionally, Ed was the global team lead for Intel Corporation’s Facilities and Materials Services team, offering construction sourcing expertise for semiconductor and assembly/test projects in the United States, Ireland, Israel, China, Costa Rica, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Ed holds an MBA from the Marshall School of Business and a BS in Civil Engineering from the Viterbi School of Engineering, both at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is an active member of the New Generation of African American Philanthropists of Charlotte and the Mecklenburg Community Church. Ed resides in Huntersville, NC with his three sons, two of whom still attend Corvian.
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Board Vice Chair
Jesh Humphrey
Jesh Humphrey, Vice Chair, has served on the Board of Directors since 2014. As Vice Chancellor of Institutional Integrity and General Counsel for UNC Charlotte, Jesh provides legal counsel as the university’s senior attorney and maintains responsibility for the supervision and administration of the Division of Institutional Integrity. The Division of Institutional Integrity supports UNC Charlotte, as an urban research university, in its endeavors to achieve its academic mission and strategic plan while adhering to the University’s ethical, legal, and regulatory responsibilities. The Division of Institutional Integrity consists of the Office of Legal Affairs, the Office of Ethics and Compliance, the Title IX Office, the Internal Audit Department, and Enterprise Risk Management.
Jesh previously served as Chief Legal Officer for the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and as Assistant Vice President for Legal Affairs for the University of North Carolina. Before moving in-house with the UNC system, Jesh served as outside counsel to corporate and education clients in private practice with Helms, Mulliss & Wicker, PLLC (now McGuire Woods LLP). He received a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
Jesh met and married his wife, Michelle, while they both attended law school. Michelle worked in child advocacy as a staff attorney for the Council for Children's Rights before transitioning to staying at home full-time with their two boys, Colin and Rhys, both of whom love being students at Corvian. The Humphrey family enjoys learning together, laughing together, playing games and sports together, and supporting the Charlotte 49ers together. They attend Mecklenburg Community Church.
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Treasurer
Kelley Impoco
Kelley Impoco joined Corvian Community School’s Board of Directors in March 2024 as Treasurer. Kelley works at LPL Financial as Senior Vice President of Technology Risk and Advanced Analytics. She is responsible for building out a mature Risk function in data, privacy and technology as well as strengthening the firm’s data analytics capabilities.
Previously, Kelley served as a Senior Data Audit Analytics Leader at Wells Fargo covering Wholesale Banking, Internationals, Process Automation, and Operational Reporting. She was responsible for the development and execution of the Internal Audit Data Analytics plan using analytics capabilities within risk based audits, continuous assessment of risk, and automated tools used in the department.
Kelley has over 20 years of financial experience, holding a B.S. in Accounting. As the Treasurer of Corvian Community School, she is committed to ensuring the financial health and stability of our educational institution through Financial Stewardship, Budget Planning, and Finance Committee Leadership experience to the role.
Kelley and her husband Joe live in Huntersville, NC with their daughters and enjoy spending time at the beach with their two Frenchie’s. They are originally from Massachusetts and moved to Huntersville, NC in 2014.
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Board Member
Jessica Culpepper
Jessica Culpepper is the Executive Director of FarmSTAND, a legal advocacy nonprofit focused on fair food systems. In her role, Jessica is responsible for overseeing the organization's board and leadership, strategic planning, and program development, ensuring the alignment of FarmSTAND’s mission with its day-to-day operations. Her fight for a fair food system began at her alma mater, Warren Wilson College, a work college with a sustainable working farm and garden.
Most recently, she was the Director of the Public Justice Food Project where she grew the program from a single staff attorney to a team of eleven organizers, lawyers, and paralegals. As a lawyer, Jessica worked primarily on fighting pollution alongside impacted communities and advocating for federal and state policy reform. Jessica has a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. in History and Political Science from Warren Wilson College, where she met her husband Justin Martin.
Jessica is active in her Caldwell Presbyterian Church community where her husband is a pastor, and serves as board President for Socially Responsible Agriculture Project and as a trustee on the executive committee for Warren Wilson College. She and her husband live in Davidson, NC with their four children and two rescue dogs.
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Board Member
Heather Hucks
Heather Hucks serves as Vice President of Consumer Connections for Coca-Cola Consolidated. In her role, Heather oversees Coca-Cola Consolidated’s major prestige properties, digital media, and brand marketing throughout the bottler’s 14 state territory. Within the sponsorship division, Heather’s team manages close to 70 prestige sponsorship properties including Pro Sports, Colleges & Universities, Amusement and Entertainment. Heather began her career with Moroch and Associates, an advertising agency, where she managed the McDonalds account for the Southeast franchise territories. She joined Coca-Cola Consolidated in 2001 and has lead multiple functions within Marketing including Experiential, Marketing Analysis, Project Management, Communications and Asset Management. In her
current role, Heather creates and stewards long term marketing strategies with key partners that connect consumers to the best brands in the world. She negotiates Consolidated’s largest prestige contracts and is passionate about building connections with the next generation of
Coca-Cola consumers. Heather studied Human Services at Elon University and studied for her Masters in Communication Studies at the University of NC Charlotte. She is chair and co-founder of BeeMighty, a non profit organization that helps families who have babies in the NICU. Heather has been a trustee of Speedway Children’s Charity for 15 years and serves as a board member for Corvian Community School.
Heather often volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.
Heather was born and raised in North Carolina where she lives with her husband, Darrin, and their son, Tucker (12) and daughter, Molly (7). She loves Carolina Panthers football, Tarheel basketball, cooking, traveling and writing.
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Board Member
Drew Polly
Drew Polly has served on the Board of Directors since 2021. Drew works in the Elementary Education program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As part of his role Drew teaches courses in Elementary Education focused on mathematics teaching, instructional planning, and assessment. Drew is involved with various service activities in the state, as he supports teachers, schools, and school districts in the Charlotte region with their mathematics instruction through professional learning workshops and meetings. Drew also partners with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and their partner Technical Outreach to Public Schools, as an item and test form reviewer for the mathematics End of Grade tests given to students in North Carolina. As part of his job Drew also conducts research and has published over 80 articles and book chapters focused on teacher learning and has collaborated on over $9 million dollars worth of grant funds to support projects related to teacher learning in mathematics.
Prior to working at UNC Charlotte, Drew taught elementary school in Williamsburg, VA, and served as a professional development facilitator for the College of William and Mary. He then moved to Athens, GA, where he worked as a professional development facilitator and research assistant at the University of Georgia.
Drew and his wife Angela live in Davidson, NC with their daughters Breleigh and Journey, and their dog Ollie Polly. They enjoy spending time outdoors, playing board games, and reading books together. In his spare time Drew coaches competitive soccer for the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club.
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Board Member
Michelle Spencer
Michelle Spencer joined Corvian Community School’s Board of Directors in June 2022. She works at Vannoy Construction where she is part of an onsite construction management team focused on community and healthcare projects around the Charlotte area. She enjoys being a part of projects that provide essential care and services to enhance our community. Prior to working at Vannoy, Michelle
worked in architecture in the San Francisco Bay area and Chicago where she also focused primarily on the community and healthcare sector prior to moving to Charlotte. She took several years off while her two children were younger. She took the opportunity to be an active part of their elementary school’s PTA and volunteering for their classes.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kent State University. Additionally, she holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She was licensed as an Architect in 2005.
Michelle met her husband Michael while they were both studying architecture. They reside in Huntersville, NC with their two children and two dogs. They love living in the Lake Norman area and have lived there since 2009.
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North Carolina School Report Card & Read to Achieve Results
Dear Parents and Prospective Parents,
The annual North Carolina School Report Card offers a way for Corvian Community School’s stakeholders to learn more about our school.
Whether you are a parent, grandparent, community member or business owner, we encourage you to take the time to look at our school report cards closely. You will find information regarding student performance, performance on end-of-grade testing, school discipline, funds spent per student, student demographics, teacher qualifications, school and class size, and much more.
This year, we are especially proud of our teacher qualifications, class size, and student performance. This information reflects a strong commitment from highly qualified educators supported by a broad-based network of parents, community leaders, volunteers, and businesses in our community.
Although we invite you to share in our sense of accomplishment, we also invite you to see the potential we see in each child who is enrolled in Corvian Community School. Look at our data, navigate through our school report card, or personally visit our schools. Your comments and suggestions are always important to us. As always, it is both an honor and privilege to be a part of a school system that is valued.
Sincerely.
Corvian Administration
Corvian Community School is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex and gender.
Title IX
Title IX Coordinator for Students or Employees:
Jen Rolls
HS Assistant Principal
4041 Johnston Oehler Road
Charlotte, NC 28269
704.717.7550
jen.rolls@corvian.org
Learn more
Corvian Community School does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education programs or activities and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 and federal regulations to not discriminate in such a manner. This requirement extends to admission and employment. The board will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of sex, including any form of sexual harassment as that term is defined under Title IX, in any program or activity of the school system.
Every employee of Corvian Community School has a duty, by law, to report allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
What is Title IX?
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive federal civil rights law that protects people from sex and gender discrimination in education programs, activities, and workplace.
Title IX states:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Corvian Community School has a Title IX coordinator to manage the district's response to reports of gender inequity, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Faculty, staff, and administrators who receive complaints or have knowledge of discrimination based on sex, gender, and sexual harassment are obligated to report complaints to the Title IX coordinator.
Every employee of Corvian Community School has a duty, by law, to report allegations of sexual harassment & misconduct. To make a report, contact the Title IX Coordinator.
Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its implementing federal regulations may be referred to Corvian Community School’s Title IX coordinator and/or the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.
The contact information for the Office for Civil Rights with jurisdiction over North Carolina is as follows:
4000 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1475
Telephone: 202-453-6020
TDD: 800-877-8339
FAX: 202-453-6021
Email: OCR.DC@ed.gov
