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RALEIGH – Wednesday afternoon, Wake County School's new superintendent met with leaders of the North Carolina Chapter of the NAACP. The group has filed multiple complaints about the current school board's leadership and its elimination of the student diversity policy, leading to federal and accreditation investigations.

The last two times NAACP President Rev. Dr. William Barber went to the Wake Schools Central Offices last summer, he left in handcuffs, arrested for trespassing as a protestor. But Wednesday, he and other NAACP leaders were welcomed guests, spending nearly two hours in a private meeting with new Superintendent Tony Tata.

“It was an important time of discussion,” Barber said after the meeting. “It was not a meeting to make any major decisions, but to make sure everyone is clear where we stand on the issues before us.”

The NAACP's biggest concern with Wake County Schools right now is the school board's elimination of student diversity in its assignment policy, fearing it will lead to a re-segregation and high-poverty, low performing schools.

“You shouldn't create unhealthy schools and try to fix them on the back end,” Barber said. “Research tells us if you want healthy schools, you have to stop re-segregation, promote diversity, you have to have high quality teachers, smaller classrooms, equity in funding.”

Superintendent Tata said he was pleased with the meeting. He's now in charge of creating Wake County's new student assignment plan and diversity is not the top priority.

“The student assignment plan should be focused on student achievement and how we raise the achievement of all children,” he said. “I think fundamentally, a student assignment plan that does that will result in diversity.”

The NAACP will evaluate the assignment plan once it's created. Leaders say they will challenge it if they feel it's not in the best interest of all students, including minorities.

Tata is continuing his listening tour Thursday night, meeting with members of the community who have been critical of the school board majority and their elimination of the student diversity portion of the assignment policy. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh.