JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two Jacksonville elementary schools that have been part of the community for decades could soon become one.

The Duval County Schools superintendent is recommending the consolidation of Long Branch Elementary into Richard L. Brown Gifted and Talented Academy due to under enrollment, a move facing growing pushback.

Tuesday night, parents, neighbors and community activists packed the R.L. Brown cafeteria to weigh in.

Many argue that merging the two violates prior commitments and further disrupts predominantly black communities that have already seen wave after wave of school changes.

“Now we are at another stage in this community where we’re talking about closures. We got to stop this,” said Isaiah Rumlin, president of the Jacksonville NAACP. This message was directed

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