The Detroit Public Schools has reversed a decision to close Maybury Elementary and will allow the school to remain open for at least two years, DPS spokesman Steve Wasko confirmed today.

Roy Roberts, the DPS emergency manager, told parents at Maybury today that his decision was based on the dense population in the southwest Detroit neighborhood as well as the school’s proximity to a park, church and two other DPS schools.

Moving Maybury’s 400 students to two other nearby schools would put those schools close to capacity, which is not a desired outcome, Roberts told parents.

The decision to allow Maybury to remain open does not impact any other school consolidations planned for this fall. Roberts announced earlier this year that 16 of DPS’s 120 buildings will close this summer due to declining enrollment and the construction of four new facilities.

With 41,000 vacant classroom seats, DPS expects to continue to close, consolidate and merge schools in coming years as part of a plan to create a new system of schools that will be comprised of a smaller group of higher-quality facilities.

Contact Chastity Pratt Dawsey: 313-223-4537 or cpratt@freepress.com or on Facebook. Follow @cprattdawsey on Twitter.