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Hinsdale School District Changes Boundaries After Claims Of Discrimination

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Claims of discrimination and angry protests took place at a school board meeting in the Western suburbs over Hinsdale School District 86's decision to change the high school attendance boundaries.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports Brett Rapaport and his wife built their house on a Willowbrook lot for several reasons.

They say one of the biggest reasons they chose the location was so that they could live in the so-called buffer zone, giving them the choice to send their son to Hinsdale South or Hinsdale Central High School.

"The ability to go to Hinsdale Central High School, being one of the most renowned high schools in the state was probably the kind of thing that put it over the edge for us," said Brett Rapaport.

The school board voted to get rid of the buffer zone and change District 86's boundaries at a packed and contentious meeting Monday night.

Rapaport said the decision will be a hit to him educationally and economically.

"The property value in this area is driven by the Hinsdale Central school district, so you buy the house at one price and take a hit, that's frustrating," he said.

But there's another side to the argument.

"It's really about fairness and equality," said Zachary Mottl, Burr Ridge Village Trustee and Hinsdale South alumni.

Mottl is one of the 800 people behind a civil rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education. The complaint argues Hinsdale South families face unlawful discrimination, based on course offerings and boundaries – the latter, funneling predominately white, affluent students to Hinsdale Central and a more diverse, less affluent population to Hinsdale South.

"One side of town is very diverse and the other side is not and if you don't allocate resources equally, that's where the problem is," said Mottl.

Talk of putting in almost $200 million referendum on the November ballot for school improvement is adding fuel to the emotional fire.

Mottl says they expect to hear back from the office of civil rights in the next few weeks, which could impact their next steps.

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