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His hiring represents something of a gamble for the schools and for Sadiq. The spotlight is him and the scrutiny in this first year will no doubt be intense.

Sadiq is not an unknown quantity, despite the efforts of a few to question his suitability for the job. He has the necessary education, as well as an impressive list of references - including his former professors at the University of Massachusetts - who are willing to vouch for him, and he has already spent one year interning as a counselor in the middle school under the tutelage of former counselor Barry Brooks, who retired this year.

Here are the particulars of Sadiq's background:

In December 1993, Sadiq, known at that time by his birth name, Vincent E. Bias, was arrested after robbing a bank in Springfield with a loaded handgun. He served 31/2 years in prison on a five- to seven-year sentence. Prior to his arrest, Sadiq, a graduate of Amherst Regional High School, had served in the Army in the Persian Gulf during the first Iraq war.

After his release from prison, Sadiq worked to turn his life around. He changed his name - partly, he says, because of his conversion to Islam, but also because of a desire to separate himself from the person he used to be. He then attended UMass, where he earned his B.A. in communications and his M.A. in education, with an emphasis on school counseling. He is now married, with three children, and coaches youth football in Amherst. By any definition, Sadiq has become a productive member of the Amherst community.

Those who have seen him with young people speak highly of his skills in working with students. Those who have watched him coach a youth football team for the past three years also sing his praises as a positive role model.

Some have questioned whether the interviewing and hiring process was flawed, or whether the district was entirely forthcoming about Sadiq's background. There are complaints that only one member of the interview committee was aware of Sadiq's criminal record.

From what is known of the search process, the educational credentials and experience of the seven candidates interviewed for the position were very similar. The interview committee's task is to assess the skills of candidates and determine their ability to do the job based solely on qualifications. Criminal background checks are not required until a job is offered to a candidate. Superintendent Jere Hochman took the interview committee's recommendations, which have been described as glowing, and, based on all other information, made the hiring decision. That's his job, and he's clear about taking responsibility for it.

The school's principal, Fran Ziperstein, also fully supports the hiring. Ziperstein observed Sadiq during his internship and liked what she saw. In our opinion, the process was followed and it worked.

While there have been local cases of people with questionable backgrounds slipping onto the public payroll without adequate background checks - which no doubt accounts for the heightened sensitivity - that is not the case with Sadiq. He has made no effort to hide his background, nor does he make any excuses for it; rather, he believes that students might be able to learn a lesson from the mistakes he made.

The hiring is now clouded by the state Department of Education's decision to deny Sadiq the necessary state certification. They refuse to state the reason. Sadiq has appealed, and Hochman says he will work to get the certification question settled. Meanwhile, this week Sadiq has joined his colleagues at the middle school in preparing for the new school year.

Was Talib Sadiq the best-qualified candidate? That's always a judgment call. He certainly has the necessary qualifications, and his track record of working with young people says a lot. In the end, the test of any hiring decision is performance, and what parents should expect is that Sadiq will be evaluated by the standards Amherst has set for its counselors.

The district plans to hold events to give parents and new students a chance to meet the faculty. Parents should take advantage of that opportunity, and give Sadiq a chance to speak for himself. It will be up to him to demonstrate how he can make a positive contribution at the Amherst Regional Middle School.

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