ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s governor has suspended all five members of the local school board in Dooly County.

Gov. Nathan Deal issued his decision on Monday, following a November recommendation by the State Board of Education that leaders of the central-Georgia district be suspended.

State law allows a governor to intervene if a school district’s accreditation is at risk.

A school accreditation organization began reviewing the district in 2015 and gave the district low scores for governance and leadership. A year later, the organization said the district showed little improvement.

Deal appointed a six-member panel to nominate replacement school board members and also named Martha Ann Todd as his liaison to the district. Todd is the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.