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Deal DeKalb announces suspensions Monday

Gov. Nathan Deal is following the recommendations of the State School Board and will suspend six members of the DeKalb School Board. He signed the executive order Monday afternoon.

“All of us could say maybe there’s a better way, the reality is that this is the only way that’s open to us at this point and time,” says Deal.

He announced the appointment of members to a nominating committee, mostly who have ties to the State School Board and Department of Education, which will look at replacing the six.

Deal does not believe his actions are in violation of a temporary restraining order, issued by a federal judge after a lawsuit was filed by DeKalb board members last week, which challenges the constitutionality of the 2011 law that allows Deal to remove the board.

“The court order, as I understood it… would bar someone from being permanently removed… until after the court hearing last place,” he says.

That hearing is set for Friday in federal court.

Deal made his announcement flanked by members of the DeKalb legislative delegation.

“I don’t know that there was any outcome that would have been good at this point,” says Sen. Jason Carter (D-Decatur).

Rep. Howard Mosby (D-Atlanta) had hoped the board would have been given more time.

“We would have loved to have seen where the new school board chair, the new school board vice chair, the new interim superintendent had an opportunity to see what they could do now with this board,” he said.

The six DeKalb board members will have 30 days to appeal the decision before permanent removal.  If they do no appeal, the appointees recommended by the nominating committee would take over until elections are held next year.

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