ATLANTA (AP/WAOK) – An attorney for the Georgia Board of Education has recommended six of nine DeKalb County School Board members be suspended without pay.

School board members appeared at a lengthy hearing Thursday after a judge denied the board’s request to halt the meeting.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in December put the suburban Atlanta system on probation and threatened to revoke its accreditation. Jennifer Hackemeyer, an attorney for the Georgia Board of Education, did not recommend suspending three newer board members who were hired after problems within the district began to surface.

Under a 2011 law, Gov. Nathan Deal can suspend the local board if the state school board recommends it. A decision has not yet been made.