The Wake County school board passed the voluntary desegregation resolution it needs as part of it federal magnet grant application, but in the process it led to a discussion about achievement at magnets and the programming options at non-magnets.

At the last meeting on Feb. 5, the board considered this voluntary desegregation resolution. Approval was required as part of the $10 million in federal magnet dollars Wake will request to start up three new magnets and to revamp the themes at two schools.

School board member Deborah Prickett came to the discussion with a long list of notes to raise her concerns about approving the resolution.

The Wake County school system appears likely to return to the practice of setting aside 10 percent of magnet school openings in the annual application process that would be filled on a random basis.

Wake used to set aside 10 percent of the magnet application seats for a more or less random lottery with the rest being filled based on selection criteria and priorities. That process was dropped this year under the choice plan.

But there was a consensus at Thursday's work session from board members to bring back the 10 percent seat lottery. if implemented, this change would most significantly impact families trying to get into high-demand magnet schools where there are for more applicants than openings.

The school system is being sued again.

Disability Rights North Carolina filed a federal lawsuit this morning against Wake to get access to a self-contained autistic class at Carroll Middle School in Raleigh. The group has received allegations of abuse and neglect of those students but says Wake is blocking them from investigating.

Disability Rights, which is empowered by the Governor's Office to provide protection and advocacy services for disabled people, lays out some pretty serious allegations in its lawsuit.

UPDATE

Click here for the online story. Click here to read the lawsuit.