The Greater Hartford branch of the NAACP is calling on city leaders to reject proposals that would close North End schools, saying the plans violate the civil rights of black and Latino students in the city.

But the chairman of the Hartford Board of Education says the group's concerns are premature and that school officials are far from a decision on school consolidation.

In a strongly worded letter to Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, NAACP branch President Imam Abdul-Shahid Muhammad Ansari wrote that recommendations to close schools named for Martin Luther King, former Hartford Mayor Thirman Milner, civil rights pioneer Frank T. Simpson and John C. Clark Jr., the first African-American elected to public office in Hartford, represent a "total disregard for Black and Latino culture and heritage" and are part of a larger pattern of neglect toward neighborhood schools.

"We are deeply concerned and disturbed by the actions of the Hartford Board of Education, for systematically divesting in schools located in the north-end; leaving our students and families ill-equipped to compete educationally," Ansari wrote. "We must reclaim our schools and our children who are at risk of educational failure. We must demand that the Hartford Board of Education and the Hartford City Council refrain from closing any schools in the north-end of Hartford and reaffirm the need for quality public education."

The association's letter foreshadows what will likely be a contentious battle as Hartford officials look to consolidate schools, with North End schools — some in disrepair and with low enrollments —frequently mentioned as likely candidates for closure. Most recently, the city's Equity 2020 committee last week unveiled three school-closing plans developed by a consultant, each of which fell most heavily on North End schools. Under two of the three plans, the Wish School would be the only remaining elementary school in the northeast section of the city.

In a written response to Ansari's letter, Hartford Board of Education Chairman Richard Wareing wrote that the proposals are merely the suggestions of a consultant and do not represent any decision-making by the board. "NONE of those proposals are on the Board's agenda for action and NONE of them may ever be on the Board's agenda," Wareing wrote to Ansari. "In fact, based on my initial discussions with my colleagues, I doubt any of the consultant's proposals could garner a majority of the Board's support, at least as they are."

Wareing said that the board's deliberative process is just beginning, and that no decisions will be made until many questions are answered and multiple public hearings are held. But Ansari's letter offers little faith in that process and demands that officials "stop the practice of disingenuous strategies, (e.g. community meetings and hearings offered only after decisions have been made)."

Wareing wrote that he appreciated Ansari's passion but added, "doing nothing is not an option" because the city has "too many schools for the kids we have" — in a city with not enough money to renovate older buildings.

"Like you, I believe education is a civil rights issue," Wareing wrote, "but consigning other people's kids to dilapidated buildings and/or schools that have not gotten the job done for a decade or more, and/or schools that are so small that they cannot sustain quality programming doesn't further the causes of civil rights, equality, and justice."

The Hartford Board of Education is scheduled to meet Tuesday evening. The agenda includes a workshop session devoted to an Equity 2020 presentation. But Wareing said it is too early even for the board to debate the consultant's recommendations. "NOTHING has been decided and NOTHING is going to be decided until the Board is ready to act," Wareing wrote.