A lawsuit brought by parents challenging Boulder Valley School District’s school-closure and consolidation plan was heard in a Boulder courtroom Thursday, Oct. 8. The hearing lasted about two hours, and the judge said she would take the matter under advisement and would not rule for at least two weeks. The parents argue that the district did not provide enough transparency as it developed the plan, and allege that parts of the process violated Colorado’s Open Meetings Act. Katharine Rosenthal, whose student attends Flatirons Elementary, said families expected broad community engagement and a chance for affected school communities to understand proposed changes. Superintendent Rob Anderson said the meetings about the plan were open to the public. He said the district was confident in its process and community engagement, while acknowledging that closures would have a significant impact. The Board of Education approved the plan Sept. 22 in a 5-2 vote. The district says declining enrollment is affecting resources across schools and prompted the changes. Under the plan, Douglass Elementary in Boulder will close, and High Peaks will move into the Douglass building. The Community Montessori building will close, with its program moving to the current High Peaks location. Mesa Elementary will close and merge with Bear Creek Elementary, while Flatirons Elementary will close and its attendance area will be divided between Whittier and Foothills schools. The plan also changes school configurations in Louisville and Superior: Monarch K-8 will become a middle school, and Eldorado K-8 will become an elementary school. In Broomfield, Birch Elementary will close and merge its students with Kohl Elementary. BVSD expects affected students to receive priority enrollment at their new schools this fall. The district is still finalizing details involving dual-language programs, preschool and bus routes.