Gov. Nathan Deal has signed a bill into law to allow him to temporarily replace members of the Atlanta Public School board by July 1 if the school system does not show adequate progress as it attempts to avoid loosing accreditation.

The legislature passed a similar bill last year but it only applied to newly elected school board members.  The new law applies to current board members as well.

"It is certainly something I would use reluctantly, but it is a tool that has proven to be affective with regard to other systems in our state," says Deal.

The state board of education would first hold a hearing and then issue its recommendations to the governor who would then have to approve them.

Deal told those attending an Atlanta Press Club event that he would work with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and the local business community if he did have to replace board members.

Reed worked his connections with former colleagues under the Gold Dome this session to push the legislation through.

He issued a statement saying he's pleased the bill has been signed into law.

"A loss of accreditation for the Atlanta Public School system would be catastrophic for the 49,000 students whom the district serves, and would cripple economic development and business investment in the city, region and state for years to come. SB 79 is a critical tool in the effort to get the Atlanta School Board focused on what matters most: investigating the CRCT cheating scandal, recruiting a best-in-class superintendent, and providing our children with a world-class education," Reed says in the statement.

Before the actual law can take affect, it requires approval from the U.S. Justice Department because voting and elections would be affected.

The new law also affects the size of the DeKalb County School Board.  It reduces the number of board members from nine to seven.