East Lansing resident Hawrua Razzaa plays with pattern blocks on June 12, 2011 at the Red Cedar Elementary School.
Editor’s note: This article has been changed to correctly reflect the nature of the case.
The East Lansing School District is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for claims the November 2012 decision to close Red Cedar Elementary School was discriminatory.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights received two complaints in November and December of last year, which were consolidated into the current complaint, Jim Bradshaw, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said in a statement.
The East Lansing Board of Education passed a motion 5-2 to close Red Cedar Elementary on Nov. 27, which will be effective in 2014.
Superintendent David Chapin has cited census data and shifting enrollment trends as the cause of the decision, which will close the school with the highest percentage of minority students in the area.
This isn’t the first time a lawsuit has been filed against the school district for closing Red Cedar Elementary. A similar suit was filed in 2011 but was dropped last March.
The parties involved in the case were notified of the investigation Thursday.
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