The third and final public hearing on the reassignment plan began with another tumultuous start at Middle Creek High School in Apex.
"You're on a bad path that will likely end with a mass exodus of your wealthiest and let's be honest, most academically gifted families," one concerned parent said. "Once they're gone they won't come back."
The school board says it needs to reassign nearly 7,000 students in order to control growth and enhance diversity.
Parents say the plan presents serious transportation, time and stability issues.
"Stop bussing children of poverty from school to school," a parent said. "Gget them settled in a school so that relationships building gets past the early stages."
"We need to go back to start considering our children as people, rather than percentage and scores and statistics," another parent added.
The board says all the comments, as well as more than 1,500 emails they received, will be taken into consideration before the final reassignment plan is voted on in February.