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August 29, 2007
MA: License denied: DOE rejects Sadiq; Amherst school's choice files appeal
'He's the one we selected,' Hochman said.
License denied: DOE rejects Sadiq; Amherst school's choice files appeal
BY BOB DUNN STAFF WRITER
Daily Hampshire Gazette, Friday August 24, 2007
Page 1
AMHERST - Talib Sadiq, the controversial choice to take over as Amherst Regional Middle School's seventh-grade guidance counselor, has had his application for state certification denied, according to the Massachusetts Department of Education.
According to the department, Sadiq has filed an appeal of that decision, but no determination has been made yet on his request. Teachers, teacher specialists, professional support personnel and administrators must be licensed to work in the public schools of Massachusetts, the DOE states. Sadiq was hired by the Amherst Regional Public Schools to replace longtime middle school guidance counselor Barry Brooks, who retired at the end of last school year. Sadiq's hiring came under scrutiny when the Gazette reported that he served jail time for armed robbery after he held up a bank in Springfield with a loaded 9 mm handgun in 1993. When he committed that crime, he was known by his birth name, Vincent Bias. Since his arrest, Sadiq converted to Islam, changed his name, completed the necessary coursework to become a guidance counselor and served a one-year internship under Brooks' tutelage at the middle school.
Sadiq could not be reached for comment.
Heidi Guarino, spokeswoman for the DOE, said she could not divulge the reason for Sadiq's denial for confidentiality reasons. She said that a decision to reject an application for certification can be made for any number of reasons, and each application is handled on a case-by-case basis. According to the DOE's Criminal Offender Record Information policy, a criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant for a license. Amherst Superintendent Jere Hochman said by telephone Thursday that he had not received official notification from the Department of Education about Sadiq's application process but expected word soon. Hochman said the school will do whatever it can to install Sadiq as counselor. Hochman wrote in a recent email to the Gazette that the school will 'exhaust the avenues we can take to have someone we wish to employ in place.' According to the DOE, the Amherst school district can apply for a one-year waiver on behalf of a candidate whose certification is not complete. Waivers may be renewed, but a candidate who is employed under a one-year waiver must demonstrate 'continuous progress' toward completion of certification for the waiver to be renewed. Those waivers are reviewed and accepted on a case-by-case basis as well, Guarino said. Despite the delay in a decision on certification, Hochman said Sadiq will assume his duties as scheduled Aug. 27. The Gazette also received a flurry of comments from readers, reflecting a mix of views, after news reports revealed that all but one of the members of committee that interviewed Sadiq were unaware of his criminal record before interviewing him.
Hochman wrote the Gazette that Sadiq's record was not shared with the committee so that they could make a decision based solely on his skills and qualifications. Hochman was unsure what course of action the school district would take if Sadiq loses his appeal and is deemed unfit to work in a public school. 'We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it,' Hochman said. Hochman and middle school Principal Fran Ziperstein have both said that Sadiq was the top candidate out of a large field of applicants. 'He's the one we selected,' Hochman said.
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Posted by lois at August 29, 2007 04:52 PM