MARTINEZ -- The Antioch school district will have to halt its effort to establish Dozier-Libbey Medical High School as a district-run charter school, a Contra Costa Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Laurel Brady affirmed a tentative ruling granting a temporary restraining order request by teachers at the school trying to stop the district's move.

The teachers, hoping to convert Dozier-Libbey into an independent charter school free of district control, were elated upon hearing the news Thursday afternoon. The injunction is aimed at "maintaining the status quo until a final determination on the competing petitions is had," Brady said.

Students leave the campus of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School in Antioch on March 11, 2014. (Susan Tripp Pollard/Bay Area News Group)

"This is exactly the news we were hoping for, an opportunity to take the legal route and show the merits of our petition," said Stacey Wickware, one of the lead petitioners.

Superintendent Donald Gill said Thursday afternoon he hadn't had a chance to look at the decision yet, and that district officials plan to talk with their attorneys about the next steps.

"This is just one step along the journey. There are a lot of steps yet to take," Gill said.

Last month, Antioch Unified filed its own charter petition for the medical-themed magnet school to thwart the teacher-led petition -- a novel move for California that has raised questions and concerns among those who follow charter school-related efforts.

Several times in her ruling, Brady noted the uniqueness of the situation and scant case law to assess the circumstances.

During a court hearing Monday, Antioch Unified argued that it had established a startup charter school and that it must move forward quickly to start school in August. But Brady noted in her ruling the school had a similar name, same location and state code number, and was assigned the same state test scores as the existing school.

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Judge: Antioch school district must halt effort to turn magnet school into district-run charter