New Assignments for APS Media Specialists

Students who have gotten used to seeing the faces of familiar media specialists in their school's libraries may be disappointed when they return to school today. That's because some media specialists have been reassigned because of the Atlanta Public Schools' cheating scandal.

Although not implicated in Atlanta's cheating woes, several media specialists, who spoke off the record to Cascade Patch, say they will find themselves in unfamiliar settings. They have been transferred from their old schools and told to report to new ones.

The move, in itself, is not unusual. Media specialists and other system employees are often moved to other sites. What's different this school year is that they are being used as replacements for those caught up in APS's cheating scandal.

Verdalia Turner, president of the Atlanta chapter of the American Federation of teachers, says the move is putting students, instructors, schools, as well as the media specialists, at a severe disadvantage.

"Enough time was not given to the media specialists who just received their new assignments," Turner said. "In many school systems,  teachers meet with district supervisors and are given their new assignments several weeks in advance. This has not been the procedure in Atlanta."

Atlanta Public Schools spokesman Keith Bromery said the adjustments represent district-level decisions about the individual needs of each school.

"The district makes decisions regarding the placement of instructional staff, based on the needs of the learning environment and the organization," Bromery said. "Media center specialists are certified teachers, who are placed based on their specific backgrounds, training and certification areas."

Still, media specialists say they were not given the professional courtesy of receiving their new assignments in writing or in time to prepare for the moves. Some media specialists say they were not informed of the transfers until this week when teachers returned to work.

Some media specialists have been in their schools for several years and have devoted their efforts and expertise to improve their schools by building reading skills and technology proficiency. Media specialists have been trained in media services and hold specific post-graduate degrees in that area.  

Although their teaching certificates indicate that they can work in other areas, many of them are not prepared to move so quickly from elementary media centers to middle and high school classrooms or from high schools to elementary schools.

English is a core subject in Georgia's high schools and is tested yearly. This move is thought by many to be a disadvantage to students who will be taught by teachers who are not familiar with their curriculum.

"They will be working longer hours than most in preparation for this school year and probably have been working hard this weekend," Turner said. "However, I know they will do their best."