North Forest (Texas) district sues to stay open

If education officials with the state of Texas have their way, the North Forest Independent School District will be absorbed into the Houston school system before students return for the 2013-14 school year. But North Forest district officials still are trying to stop the takeover, The Houston Chronicle says. In a federal lawsuit, they are arguing the annexation into the Houston district, set to take place July 1, would violate the Voting Rights Act. North Forest wants a judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the annexation. Last week, an effort in state court to block the annexation failed when a judge in Austin ruled in favor of the Texas Education Agency, which has ordered the district to shut down because of academic and financial shortcomings.