Judge Grants Restraining Order Against Suspension of DeKalb School Board

A federal judge has issued a restraining order that prevents the suspension of six DeKalb school board officials by Gov. Nathan Deal.

Over the weekend, Judge Richard Story issued the order, according to Channel 2 Action News. The order does not prevent Deal from suspending the school board members, but does prohibit their actual suspension until a hearing is convened on Friday.

Deal had scheduled a Monday news conference to announce whether he was suspending six members of the DeKalb school board.

After a 14-plus-hour meeting on Thursday, the State Board of Education voted to recommend that Deal remove six members of the DeKalb school board.

The board voted unanimously to recommend that Sarah Copelin-Wood, Donna Edler, Eugene Walker, Jay Cunningham, Nancy Jester and Pamela Speaks be removed from the DeKalb school board.

If Gov. Deal follows the board's recommendation, Jim McMahan, Marshall Orson and Melvin Johnson would remain on the board as newly elected members.

However, in a legal move late Friday afternoon, the school board filed an emergency motion in federal court, hoping to stop the governor from taking any action. 

See Also:

School Board Files Emergency Motion Motion to Stop Possible Suspension

Replay Patch's Live Coverage of the State Board of Education Hearing With the DeKalb School Board