( CNN ) -- Police in Raleigh , North Carolina , arrested 19 people at a rancorous school board meeting Tuesday afternoon where protesters accused the Wake County School Board of adopting a plan that will resegregate the school system . The Wake County School School Board voted in March to stop the decade-long practice of socio-economic school assignment and assign students to their neighborhood schools . The system plans to transition into the new practice in the next 15 months . Currently 85 percent of the system 's 143,000 students attend a school within five miles of their home , said system spokesman Michael Evans . Another 12 to 13 percent attend magnet schools and the remaining 3 percent are assigned based on their income level and growth issues . Wake County is a booming school system with unprecedented growth that often requires the students to attend different schools , Evans said . The discontent among opponents , which included the Wake County superintendent who recently resigned as well as the state schools superintendent , has been mounting and also resulted in arrests at a school board meeting in June . Tuesday 's meeting agenda did not address the issue , but it was raised by speakers during public comment , Evans said . `` This board can not and will not permit these distractions to divert our attention away from our priority , and that is of increased achievement for all students , '' school board chairman Ron Margiotta has said . The Rev . William Barber , head of the North Carolina NAACP , was one of the first arrested before he entered the school board building . He led a crowd chanting `` What do we want ? Justice . When do we want it ? Now , '' as they descended on the school board building . Before the meeting Barber also spoke at a protest rally that drew about 1,000 people to the state capital . `` This is not a game , Mr. Margiotta , '' Barber said . `` You have in your hands the future of 140,000 young people ... you know educationally , legally and morally your policy changes are wrong . '' Another minister , David Forbes , also spoke at the rally , saying , `` 'Neighborhood schools ' is a trick word to re-segregate a city that worked hard to bring about a progressive new possibility . '' Barber and two others were arrested before the meeting for trespassing . Police said they arrested 16 others during the board meeting for trespassing and disorderly conduct . Evans said the protesters locked arms and started singing during the public comment section . `` The board has made decisions . I think they are the right decisions ... there is a big misinterpretation , '' board member Debra Goldman has said . The March vote to return to community schools attendance zones was 5-4 .
Police arrested 19 , including the state NAACP chairman , at school board meeting . The board chairman says the return to neighborhood schools is needed . Score: 6