By AP/KWMU
Clayton, MO – Several hundred students walked out of class at Clayton High School Tuesday to protest expected changes in voluntary transfers.
The desegregation program lets black students who live in the city to attend predominantly white St. Louis County schools.
Students organized the walkout to show their support for diversity in the top-ranked school district and for their friends.
The district is considering scaling back the program because of a lack of state funding.
Organizers are asking students to sign petitions to maintain the school's diverse student population. The debate over diversity in the Clayton School District has been raging for months with sometimes-emotional testimony from students, parents and teachers.
A school board decision is expected next week.