Two parent leaders in Lancaster, Pennsylvania–John MGrann and Dennis Deslippe–are organizing opposition to a Gulen charter in their community. The Gulen charters are the largest charter chain in the nation. They are associated with a reclusive Turkish imam who lives in the Poconos but has a powerful political movement in Turkey.
This is their petition:
The application for a new charter school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has generated a strong public response in opposition to its approval. On Tuesday, February 19, the school board for the School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania will conduct a hearing for the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School (ABECS), a school which promises to “integrate business and leadership opportunities” and “launch entrepreneurial skills” for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The lead applicant for ABECS is Sait Onal.
Troubling letters of support
A group of local parents has been working to review the proposed program and curriculum, and to research the background of the charter school’s board members and letters of support. They have serious concerns about the curriculum, but equally troubling are the letters written in support of the charter school, including several which were subsequently withdrawn after these parents started asking questions and raising concerns. The withdrawn letters include:
· One letter, originally written by Harrisburg Area Community College, withdrawn because, “we believe that based on the ongoing public scrutiny and concerns regarding allegations of the organization, we cannot in good faith continue to support the charter application, at this time.”
· Letters from two Pennsylvania non-profit organizations that “promote teaching financial literacy”, withdrawn after a board member was alerted to the letters and discovered that they overstated the organizations’ position. The board member in question is president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (the statewide teachers’ union) who added in a follow-up letter, “I do not support the development or creation of any new charter schools in Pennsylvania at this time.”
· A letter of support from Lutheran Refugee Services, withdrawn after leadership from that organization’s office in Philadelphia discovered that the lead applicant’s wife, Selma Onal, issued the letter without authorization.
The remaining letters of support include:
· Letters from US Representative Joseph R. Pitts and Pennsylvania State Senator Lloyd Smucker.
· A letter sent from the local office of the Transamerica Agency Network where lead applicant Sait Onal is District Manager, signed by an employee of that office.
· A letter sent from MUDI Farm Export, a business in which the lead applicant Sait Onal is a partner, signed by Onal himself.
· A letter from Godiva Chocolatier / Yildiz Holdings, promising the opportunity for “job shadowing” and “summer internships” at their facility in Reading for the school’s K-4 students. This letter is signed by Murat Ulker, son of deceased Turkish industrialist Sabri Ulker who was a friend of Fethullah Gulen.
· A letter from Etimine USA in Pittsburgh, also promising “job shadowing” and “summer internships” for the school’s K-4 students. This letter is signed by Gokhan Yazici, former Deputy Undersecretary in the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (2002-2004) and former Advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey (1996-2001). The opposing parent group has noted the absurdity of a summer internship being offered to K-4 students which necessitates a four-hour drive from where they live.
The lead applicant
Sait Onal has repeatedly attempted to establish charter schools in the midstate-Pennsylvania region. In addition to his failed effort with the Lancaster Science Academy (denied in 2008), Onal was part of the group that attempted to start the Capital [sic] Academy of Harrisburg (denied in 2006). The ABECS application closely resembles two other charter school applications that were submitted in Pennsylvania in 2012, for the Allentown Science Academy and the Erie Biosciences Academy.
Although Onal insists that he has no connection to the Gulen movement, his work has appeared in The Fountain, a magazine produced and published by the Gulen Movement which features a lead article by Fethullah Gulen in every issue. In his capacity as president of two NGOs, the Red Rose Intercultural and Educational Foundation and the Turkish Cultural Center of Pennsylvania, Onal has hosted a number of political dignitaries on trips to Turkey, including State Senator Mike Brubaker.
It was while they were in Turkey in April 2011 that Onal accompanied Brubaker to the headquarters of TUKSON, a Turkish business association described by the RAND Corporation in 2008 as the “fourth leg” of the Gulen movement – the other three being its education, media, and interfaith dialogue activities.
Onal has also organized several Turkish Cultural Days at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, one of which was held in May 2011 shortly after the above-mentioned Turkey trip. The afternoon senate session that day was started with prayers by Bekir Aksoy, president of Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. Fethullah Gulen has been living at this center ever since he fled from Turkey in 1999.
The parent group has posted an online petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/school-district-of-lancaster-pa-oppose-the-academy-of-business-and-entrepreneurship-charter-school
You would think that no one would have to protest against this application. What are they really after?
here is a contribution to the gulen movement case. they have a NGO called niagara foundation located in chicago. in their web site , fethullah gulen seems as honorary presideny. This organization gave an award to the Arne Duncan (he was the head of chicago public schools) . After that they opened 2 more new charter schools in Chicago. You can check those in their official sites:
Niagara Foundation: http://www.niagarafoundation.org/ (search in the web site for arne duncan)
Concept schools: http://www.conceptschools.info/
The amazing thing about all these charter schools being run by the Gulen movement, is that along with the increasing amount of public awareness and outrage is near-total silence from our public officials, including those at the federal level and even though this is clearly a national phenomenon. It makes one wonder about the nature of the power that the Gulen movement exerts in Washington, DC.
What inroads has the Gulen movement made at the federal level in addition to making Arne Duncan into the recipient of one of their phony awards?
http://www.rumiforum.org/newsletter/2010/november/newsletter.html
What other levers has the Gulen movement pulled so they can be given favored cult status in order to run the largest network of charter schools in the country? Why should any of this be okay?
This school “promises to “integrate business and leadership opportunities” and “launch entrepreneurial skills” for students in kindergarten through fourth grade.”? Seriously?
What do they teach… advanced lemonade stand operations? Pencil grip sales? Angry birds sticker marketing? Give me a break!
I know this is a minor point but what K through 4th graders need internships? or are even remotely interested in being CEOs at this point in their young lives? Job Shadowing, really? Barely any kids show up on ‘bring your kid to work day’, any more, it is TOOO boring for kids. I can’t imagine them sitting though this kind of thing day after day.
They can work in the chocolate industry of course. Unpaid internships look great on a resume.
SCARY!
Education is meant to be the biggest risk to American security … and yet the solution is to let a foreign political and religious movement run the countries largest charter organisation!!!!!!!!
Yes, we must alert Joel and Condoleezza.
My reaction too; business leadership and entrepeneurial skills . . . for kindergarten through fourth graders? What!?
Godiva Chocolate was purchased by a Turkish Corporation, no doubt they are part of the TUSKON Gulen Businessmen. Yes “men” they don’t advance the women.
The content of this post is absolutely amazing…..I could gag on this!!!
If the public school professionals and parents don’t come out in mass protests around this in this country from coast to coast, they are fools
and count themselves as having given it away. This is an unbelievable run away train.
This is how to destroy and to lose one of the most important hallmarks of our democracy, the public school system, the kids are the absolute victim over time!! Let alone the country itself. For the Charter School Reformers, Be Careful What You Ask For as the devil is in the details
and the truth lies somewhere in all of what you don’t know.
Anyone who doubted the whole of this charter experiment and the global workforce it is set up to sort out as if our kids are widgets or
robots, need to read this. As for the religious implications, they are no different in my view, then the other parochial learning systems
trying to cash in on public money because it has gotten too hard to sustain their own religious school and greed has never taken
a vacation from houses of religion and many religious leaders and congregants. Charters make this easier until they will realize that
they gave up their programs to the government as well. This is a double edged sword which takes everyone to hell!!!! Man, woman, and child!
Government is supposed to be the absolute advocate of the people. Oh well!! I would love to see where the money market investments have been made for our representatives at every level from country to state to city and hamlet. Corporate is about making money for profit. That is what they do. No conscious needed BUT the
government of the people by the people and for the people are supposed to look to the whole of the business movement and see if it is inclusive for the good of all of the
people…not just some and not just themselves. What a travesty and colossal deceit!!!
The last I heard the Gulen schools were being investigated by the FBI. Don’t know if they still are or if anything came of it. The investigation had to do with misusing tax payers money not terrorism.
Actually it’s 5 counts under investigation with the IRS being at the top, and Dept of Labor somewhere on the food chain. When the IRS is done with them and wiping out their funds no other federal group will matter. Hey maybe they can re coup some of the $billions stolen by this group for construction loans, trips to Turkey, Dialog dinners, and gifts to local politicians, media and academia.
An update: the School Board hearing did not go well for the charter applicants last evening. The president/principal was nearly evicted from the hearing: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/817232_School-district-officials–residents-critical-of-charter-school-plan-in-Lancaster.html
Here’s the local take on our meeting last night: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/817232_Police-called-to-wild-school-board-hearing-on-charter-school-proposal.html It doesn’t mention that a member of Mr. Onal’s board attempted to silence his outbursts by putting his hands over Mr. Onal’s mouth.
My take away was that he and his group are *truly* shocked that there are well-spoken, passionate parents, students, teachers, community members and administrators in this urban district of 11,000+ students. He actually said to an opponent, “You all know each other! You are all together!” Well, yes. Yes indeed. The whole thing was pretty surreal–a ludicrous application coupled with an unbelievably angry and defensive leader who blew up when confronted by the facts.
Dennis
Sait is under pressure to get this school opened as they have been rejected in Pennsylvania on at least 2 other attempts.
That is in Gulen’s backyard and now he has let his Hocaefendi down. He is shamed so he acts out like a spoiled kid not getting his way. Next time, provoke him and put 911 on speed dial and think about taking photos or video.
Pin them into a corner and DEMAND the truth, they get very very uncomfortable with transparency it is foreign to them.
They cannot understand why you wouldn’t want a Gulenist operated school.
By all I’ve read you are doing an excellent job. We just won our battle with the Gulenists in Loudoun County. What county is this application in? Want to send the school board info to my mailing list so we can send emails and letters. videtemiraculum@verizon.net