The small, specialized schools in the Bronx and city are reportedly now part of a federal investigation.

According to the New York Times, the U.S. Education Department?s Office of Civil Rights is investigating a complaint made by a city advisory group. The Citywide Council on High Schools claims that as the schools get running during the first few years, they tend to exclude students with disabilities and limited English proficiency. City education officials say after the first year or two, the small schools are consistent with the older, larger ones in their special-needs student populations.

The federal government will now decide if these claims warrant sanctions. According to the New York Times, the probe could lead to negotiations between the city and the advisory group on how to include more of these students in the first years of a new smaller school.