A year ago this week, an editorial here observed that it took a grand total of one judge to stop a speeding train -- that train being the Wake County school board's plan to require some students to attend year-round schools whether or not their parents approved. Now it's clear how many judges were needed to get that train rolling again.

The answer: three. But even with the school board gaining the state Court of Appeals' permission to do as it pleases with assignments to year-rounds, the board would be smart to try to work with affected families as much as possible. If nothing else, that would help overcome a sense among some county residents that the board has let its authority go to its collective head.

The group Wake Cares, which sued to block the board's mandatory year-round policy, won the first round, when Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. ruled that under state law, assignment to year-rounds could proceed only upon parents' consent.

That forced the school system to let families whose children had been slotted for year-rounds go to traditional calendar schools if they wanted. In the end, only a couple of thousand students took advantage of that option. Still, it complicated matters for school officials, who want to rely more heavily on year-rounds to help relieve overcrowding (since those schools can handle more students during the course of a year).

Writing for the Court of Appeals, Judge Martha Geer explained clearly why she and two colleagues who heard the school system's appeal concluded that Manning had gotten it wrong. And the judges agreed that Wake's crowding issues are serious.

Unfortunately, the board shows signs of being less than gracious in victory. "These people need to go where they're supposed to go," said vice chair Beverley Clark. Yes, but why not emphasize instead a receptivity to the concerns that are still out there?

Some families, even if they're a small minority, regard a year-round assignment as a real hardship, usually because of their children's conflicting schedules. A willingness to listen to them would serve the school system well.