Federal officials are investigating after parents alleged that Newark's school re-organization plan discriminates against black students.
The U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights says it is investigating whether the district's "One Newark" plan discriminates against black students on the basis of race.
Spokeswoman Dorie Turner Nolt says the investigation started July 7. Parents and a national civil rights organization filed the complaint in May against the plan to consolidate or relocate almost a third of the city's schools.
The complaint says black students make up 51 percent of the district, but 86 percent of students affected by the plan are black. It says white students make up 8 percent of the district, but less than 1 percent are affected.
The district didn't immediately return a call for comment.
