Five minutes isn't a lot of time, but for seriously upset parents, it must have seemed mere seconds. That was the time period the dozens of people who showed up a Toronto District School Board meeting were given Tuesday night, as the divisive issue of black-focused school came up for public discussion one last time.

Both the pros and the cons have been strongly vocal about their feelings on the issue, with advocates insisting it will help stem the tide of failing black students who can't relate to the current curriculum. Their opponents call it a form of outright segregation and argue dividing education along lines of colour or ethnic origin smacks of the U.S. deep south in the 50s.

Both were in full voice when the meeting began at 6pm in what promised to be a knock down, drag-out fight that brought extra security officers out to keep the peace - just in case.

One of the first to air her views was a parent who wanted to see black schools in all jurisdictions - not just Toronto. The speaker was heckled by a crowd member who was immediately told to be quiet - or leave.

Among the others who took the floor - Laureen Small, the mother of Jordan Manners, whose murder at C.W. Jefferys last May stunned the city. She's against the idea and hopes the Board votes it down.

"Black school is segregation, okay? Martin Luther King and how many of our fathers fought to come together so black and whites can be together? Right? For us to sit in the front of the bus together. I don't think that we should have a black school. It's not right."

The vote won't come until late in the evening, after everyone has had their say. Twenty-one trustees will then consider the positives and negatives and then make a decision on either setting up the first such school of its kind here, designating three schools for more Afrocentric courses or standing pat.

The Board is also badly divided on the subject and it's clear whatever is decided will leave a bitter taste with some.

Donna Harrow is one of the parents who proposed the change. "We've got too many issues of our young people who are dropping out, who are failing within the system, who are disenfranchised, and the list goes on and on. We need to be able to nurture some of those children who are at risk, and this is one of many proposals that should be going to the board for ideas of how we can turn that around." She stresses any such school would be open to all.

But trustee Josh Matlow is equally sure her proposal is the wrong approach.

"Any reasonable and informed person will never dispute that we have a disproportionate number of black students who are failing from our system," he acknowledges. "[What] we need to start with is not go down the wrong road by dividing kids but actually make every single one of our schools, 558 across Toronto, be respectful, caring learning environments for every single kid."

In the end, the entire exercise could be entirely futile, because the final say will be up to the province. The Education Minister is doing her best to avoid the maelstrom for now.

"My position is that we prefer to have our students learning together in an inclusive environment," begins Kathleen Wynne. "We think that that's the way that all of schools in Ontario should be.

"Having said that, I know that the Toronto District School Board is looking at strategies to deal with student achievement, to help more kids graduate from school, and I think that the work they've done on inclusive curricula is very hopeful. So I'm interested in that part of their proposal."

What will they decide? Education Specialist Cynthia Mulligan is at the meeting and will bring you the latest on CityNews Tonight at 11:30.