It's usually the largest and most contentious education meeting of the year anyway, but when the Panel for Education Policy meets on Thursday to vote on closing dozens of schools, the protests may be the most combative yet. NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

When it comes to protesting school closures, there is a new kid in town this year. For months, an Occupy Wall Street spin-off called "Occupy the DOE" has been organizing against the Department of Education policy of closing struggling schools. While there have been major protests against school closures in the past, the Occupiers say they hope to stop the closure votes from happening at all.

It's the third year that state law has required the Panel for Educational Policy to hold a public meeting and a public vote on plans to close schools. Each meeting has stretched into the early morning hours, with thousands of protestors attending.

But since the panel is controlled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when it comes time to vote, it has always approved the proposals.

Many of the protestors are teachers, organized and bused in by their union. Education advocates rally the parents and students, and this year they will be joined by the Occupy group.

"The mayor continues to try to impose his failing agenda and shut down schools and we intend to shut down the panel," says Justin Wedes of Occupy the DOE.

Only 23 schools are on the chopping block Thursday, after the DOE took two off the list Wednesday afternoon. Another 33 schools are to be voted on later this spring.

The Occupy group plans to interrupt the meeting and then let each of the schools do its own presentation. They are asking for volunteer to sit near the aisles to, in their words, "protect" the protesters. They say they hope it will be peaceful but some are prepared to be arrested if it comes to that.

"We are ready to do what needs to be done," says Wedes.

In October, Occupy the DOE forced Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott to move a parent meeting, but this is the first time it is trying to stop an official vote from taking place.

Meanwhile, the teachers' union has reserved space for 600 people to gather at P.S. 20, a school down the street. Sources tell NY1 at some point, the union crowd may just march out of Tech to hold an alternative meeting at P.S. 20, celebrating the 23 schools.