A judge is blocking a popular North Carolina tourism area from defying the state’s school calendar law.

The Carteret County school board had adopted a calendar for the 2024-25 school year that starts classes Aug. 13 — two weeks earlier than allowed under state law. On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge William D. Wolfe issued an order declaring the calendar to be void.

“We are pleased with the Court’s ruling,” Mitchell Armbruster, an attorney for three local businesses who sued the school system, said in a statement. “All we asked for in this case was that the school district be required to follow the law, a law which the school board openly admitted they were violating.

“We shouldn’t be teaching our children that it is OK to violate the law.”

Carteret County includes popular coastal tourism spots such as Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle and Morehead City.

The school district had argued that its calendar helps students by letting them take fall semester exams before winter break. School officials also argued that the calendar law violated the state Constitution.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.