As you guys may have seen in today's article by Martha Quillin and Amanda James, the YWCA of the Greater Triangle abruptly closed Wednesday because of budget woes.

The YWCA was known for various social service programs. But those involved in the Wake County school diversity fight also know the group as having played an active role in that issue in the past two years.

The YWCA was involved with groups such as N.C. HEAT and the Wake Youth Organizing Institute. It sponsored marches protesting the end of the diversity policy. It worked with federal investigators probing the school system.

The YWCA criticized the single-sex leadership academies. It honored Yevonne Brannon.

N.C. HEAT says the recent election results show that "the people of Wake County spoke loud and clear that the political nature of the Wake County Board of Education would no longer be tolerated."

In a press release Monday, the liberal youth advocacy group says that to move Wake County forward the new school board majority should work "to create schools that are diverse in nature and allow for all students to learn and grow from such diversity."

The group says "the following actions are essential to creating equitable education for all students:

Supporters of the old Wake County diversity policy are making no bones about the fact that they're going after the school system at Friday's Stand Against Racism event at noon in Moore Square in downtown Raleigh.

Before last year's event, sponsors from the YWCA of the Greater Triangle event downplayed ahead of time that they'd be discussing the Wake school system. But it turned into a heated attack of the school board majority.

This time, organizers say they're targeting "systemic racism embedded in policies of the Wake County Public School System," namely the student suspension and discipline polices. It's one of the arguments that was used in the NAACP complaint of Wake that's being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

UPDATE

After having sent out another release this morning promoting the event, organizers just sent out a message this afternoon saying it's been postponed until August.

Should the Wake County school system continue to limit access to school board meetings to the nearly 30 protesters who were arrested last year?

Middle Creek High student Seth Keel and his fellow N.C. HEAT members argued against the restrictions during Tuesday's school board meeting. They insisted the board should listen to any of the arrested protesters who wanted to speak at the meetings.

Here's how it unfolded Tuesday.

Nearly one year after the first protester was arrested for disrupting a Wake County school board meeting, there's no sign in sight of the situation being resolved.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, the nearly 30 people arrested at school board meetings between last March and August are waiting for disposition of their cases. While the Wake County District Attorney's Office says it's not unusual for misdemeanor cases to be on the docket after a year, prosecutors also don't want the arrests to turn into a show trial.

The issue is that the state NAACP, which has moved to combine all the arrests into one case, wants the issue argued in open court. They want to turn the arrests into a de-facto trial on the end of the diversity policy.

Student assignment and diversity accounted for much of the questions that Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata faced Thursday night at the meeting organized by NC HEAT.

As noted in today's article, Tata talked several times about the task force that will hold its first meeting this afternoon for developing a new long-term student assignment plan. He repeatedly said that a focus of the task force will be on figuring out a way to avoid leaving schools with high concentrations of low-performing students.

"It’s clear that for me the student assignment plan really has to address avoiding high concentrations of low-performing students," Tata told the crowd. "That’s the framework and prism from which I’m addressing.”

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata could face his roughest grilling yet when he meets Thursday night with the teenagers from NC HEAT.

Tata had agreed to meet with NC HEAT when several members protested outside his appearance at the Wake County Taxpayers Association meeting in January. NC HEAT has been hardcore in its protests against the end of the diversity policy, with some of its members being arrested at board meetings.

"It was disappointing to us that Mr. Tata decided his first visit with the community would be with the Wake County Taxpayers Association, we felt this sent a very unfortunate and partisan message," said Monserrat Alvarez, co-chair of NC HEAT, in a press release posted today by Bob Geary on his blog for the Independent. "We asked Tata to meet with us as well, and he agreed so we are looking forward to hearing his responses to our concerns, not just the concerns of the wealthy members of our community."

UPDATE

Fliers promoting Saturday's NC HEAT protest are being handed out by audience members at Tuesday's school board meeting.

New Wake County Superintendent Anthony Tata is sidestepping giving his opinion on busing for diversity while trying to reach out to supporters of the old diversity policy.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Tata said he met yesterday with representatives of the Wake Education Partnership and Wake NCAE. Tata spoke with the N.C. HEAT protesters who picketed outside last night's Wake County Taxpayers Association meeting at the Barbecue Lodge,

This morning, Tata met with the Wake County Mayors Association. While he got a warm reception from Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, it was cooler but polite from Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker.

New Wake County Superintendent Anthony Tata will get a "welcoming party" from some of the same protesters who've targeted school board meetings over the past year.

As noted in today's article, protesters plan to be outside the Barbecue Lodge on Thursday night when Tata speaks to the Wake County Taxpayers Association during his tour of the area. The organizers for the event's Facebook page are Monserrat Alvarez, a leader of N.C. HEAT; and Seth Keel, a Middle Creek High teen arrested earlier this year at a school board meeting.

"Anthony Tata was named the new Superintendent of the WCPSS," says the event website. "Join us as we voice our opposition to this decision at his first public appearance in which he meets with the conservative group: Wake County Taxpayers Association."

You've got 29 people lined up to speak at today's Wake County school board meeting.

It looks like people are citing the discussion of the facilities utilization report, which is item 14 on the agenda, to get around the ban about talking about student assignment. Among the people citing this section on the signup sheet are Anne Sherron, Adrienne Lumpkin, Susan Evans, Monserrat Alvarez (of N.C. HEAT) and Jim Martin.

On the list of 15 speakers for off-agenda topic items, you've got more supporters of the diversity policy who likely are using other ways to bring up student assignment. This list includes:

UPDATE

School board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman said the restriction on comment on student assignment was meant for discussion on specific moves in the plan.