Seattle parents, NAACP cry racism over school closures

This from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Local parents and a civil rights organization are calling for a federal investigation into school closures announced by the Seattle School Board earlier this year.

The parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People claim the school board's decisions had racist roots.

One month ago, the school board voted to close five schools and end or change eight programs to help close a $24-million funding gap in next year's budget. The school board said it chose to close underutilized schools and schools with academic problems.
The news crushed the hopes of many students and parents who had been struggling to keep alive their hope while campaigning to keep their schools open.

A month has passed since the decision was announced, but that anger hasn't diminished. And on Thursday, it hit the streets.

Some 50 people marched to the Federal Office Building in downtown Seattle, chanting ,"Our School Board is racist. Closures are racist." ...

...And the protesters" anger went beyond their march. Some 200 people have signed complaints alleging that the school board's decision is not just unfair but also illegal. Those complaints alleging discrimination are now in the hands of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education as a part of the NAACP's request for a federal investigation.