Teachers, parents and students rallied tonight at a town hall meeting held at Lehman High School in hopes of convincing the Department of Education not to close their school.

Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan, 33 schools, including Lehman High School, would be closed. The plan says Lehman would be reopened under a new name next year and only half of the current staff would be re-hired.

The Department of Education says that research shows that only 50 percent of students manage to graduate the school and the move should increase the graduation rate.

Despite the research, more than 1,000 students have signed a petition to keep Lehman High School open.