Gov. Phil Murphy's administration signaled this week it is open to settling a lawsuit accusing the state of being complicit in allowing New Jersey one of America's most segregated public school systems.

The suit, filed by a coalition of civil rights advocates, calls the Garden State's school system unconstitutional and requests the state to put forth a sweeping desegregation plan.

Facing a Friday deadline to respond to the suit, the state Attorney General's Office on Thursday asked state Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson for a two-week extension to negotiate with the coalition, according to a letter obtained by NJ Advance Media.

"We are encouraged to believe that an amicable resolution is possible," the letter from state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal reads.

The court granted an extension until Sept. 14. The state and the coalition are scheduled to meet next week.

The plaintiff, the New Jersey Coalition for Diverse and Inclusive Schools, said they agreed to the extension because "we're heartened by the administration's belief that a settlement in this case is possible," spokesman Anthony Campisi said.

"We hope to avoid protracted litigation because we want to focus on solutions," Campisi added. "But any settlement must include a remediation plan that achieves results quickly. We need more than words. We need a concrete plan that directly addresses New Jersey schools' unacceptable levels of socioeconomic and racial segregation in concrete ways. We know that this is achievable."

It's unclear what such a settlement would look like or what changes may be spurred from it.

New Jersey is an increasingly diverse state and the majority of its school-age population is non-white.

But a 2017 analysis by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found New Jersey is America's sixth most segregated state for black students and the seventh most segregated for Latino students.

And a recent Center on Diversity and Equality in Education study found almost 25 percent of New Jersey schools are "desperately segregated," with student enrollment more than 90 percent white or more than 90 percent non-white.

Christian Estevez, president of the Latino Action Network, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit, said "the fight to integrate New Jersey's schools is the great unfinished civil rights struggle of our time."

Murphy's office deferred comment to the Attorney General's Office on Friday.

Dan Bryan, a spokesman for Murphy, said in May the governor "believes strongly that we must combat the deeply rooted problem of segregation."

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.