Atlanta school board hires professional mediator

Atlanta school board members have agreed to hire the University of Georgia's Fanning Institute to mediate their internal disputes as cited by the system's accrediting agency.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or SACS, blamed the board entirely when it placed the system on probation in January. The agency gave the board a Sept. 30 deadline to meet six mandates for improvement, including the use of a professional mediator to help members work on "communication, operational and personal issues."