× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

Parents at a coveted, majority-white elementary school in Richmond are rallying against a proposal to combine the school with a majority-black school.

New school zone options created by a consultant hired by Richmond Public Schools include the “pairing” of William Fox Elementary School in the Fan District and John B. Cary Elementary School near Byrd Park, meaning all students in the two schools’ newly combined zone would start at Fox for kindergarten through second grade before going to Cary for third through fifth grades. The move was made, according to Cropper GIS, the consultant, to improve the diversity of both schools.

The combination is included in just one of the two draft options, which are unlikely to be adopted in their entirety.

Since the unveiling of the “pairing” idea last month, members of the Fox community in particular have used a feedback form published by the school system to criticize it.