ATLANTA (AP/WAOK) – A judge’s decision clears the way for a state hearing that could unseat members of the DeKalb County school board.

The board had filed a lawsuit, seeking to halt Thursday’s hearing with the Georgia Board of Education.

Officials say Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Amanda Lee on Wednesday declined the board’s request for a temporary restraining to stop the proceedings.

The hearing could determine whether Gov. Nathan Deal makes sweeping changes in the school system’s leadership. Under a 2011 law, Deal can suspend the local board if the state school board recommends it.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in December put the metro Atlanta school system on probation and threatened to revoke its accreditation.