Anne Arundel County parents who oppose the school district’s effort to redistrict some Crofton students will get another shot to contest it, a judge ruled Monday.

Mark Crooks, a county Circuit Court judge, said that it “borderline shocks the conscience” that the Maryland State Board of Education tossed the parents’ case months ago and argued that the parents had no standing to contest the plan. He ordered the state board to reconsider it.

“I really feel that the state board abdicated its responsibility,” said Crooks, who issued his order from the bench during an afternoon hearing in Annapolis.

A spokesperson for the state board could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday afternoon.

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Darren Burns, the Anne Arundel County school board’s attorney, said he respects the judge’s decision.

The Crofton parents who oppose the redistricting plan formed a nonprofit called One Crofton and spent six figures challenging their school district in court.

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“Oh, we’re thrilled,” said Denise Bynum, a parent who attended the hearing. Her son is a ninth grader at Crofton High. “Absolutely thrilled.”

“Let the merits be heard, let the facts come out,” said Bart Krupnick,” Bynum’s husband. “The school board didn’t want to consider the merits.”

Hundreds of Crofton children were set to attend Arundel Middle and Arundel High starting this fall. Anne Arundel County school board members approved the plan last November after months of bitter community debate.

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But in June, another Circuit Court judge granted a stay that temporarily blocked the district from reassigning Crofton children to new schools. That stay will expire once Crooks issues a written order later this week.

Crooks made clear, though, that no new school assignments are permissible until the case is resolved on its merits. That would be “cruel and unusual,” he said.

The hearing on the merits of the parents’ case is expected to take place up to six months from now through the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings.