Two Minneapolis families have hired an attorney to try to get their kids admitted to first-grade at their local public school next fall.

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The families wanted their children to attend first grade at Lake Harriet Community School, which is located just blocks away from where they live. It is a popular school that is already stuffed with kindergartners, so the school district closed admission to new first-graders next fall, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.

Attorney Phillip Trobaugh told the district in a letter that it's duty-bound to admit children who live within the school's attendance area, the newspaper said.

"Some people might say that's one more sign of the apocalypse," Trobaugh said of his involvement. "I would see it as lawyers being used in another way to help problem-solve."

Jackie Turner, the Minneapolis student placement director, said she is used to getting phone calls from parents after they hear where their students are placed but it is the first time she's heard from a lawyer, the newspaper said.