Gulen Syracuse Academy of Science teaching religious ritual like Whirling Dervish of Sufism

This coupled with the fact the Syracuse Academy of Science has an Islamic Prayer room

puts this American Tax payer supported school in violation of teaching religion at a public

supported school. 

Gulen operated charter schools have Islamic prayer rooms

http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/

It seems that one of the Gulenist schools, Syracuse Academy of Science, keeps a library of Fethullah Gulen’s books in its “prayer room.” Likewise, the prayer rugs are shelved in close proximity to the books -- as evidenced by a video that was sent to this website.

As part of their religious practices, Muslims kneel on prayer rugs while they recite their daily prayers five times a day (at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening). So it’s safe to assume that at least twice a day (noon and mid-afternoon), the Muslim teachers and administrators are praying on school property in the designated prayer room -- which is being paid for with public funds.

Note that as the videographer walks through the hall on the way to the “prayer room,” she videotapes the Syracuse Academy of Science sign as evidence that she is in fact filming at the school site.

Call me crazy, but since when are public school funds designated to pay for religious literature and prayer room space? I thought that was illegal…and at the very least, rather suspect and highly unethical. People are entitled to their religious beliefs and practices, but the tax payers are not supposed to subsidize religious activities, that's what private schools are for.

The guys that run that school, along with the other 139 “Gulen-inspired” and American tax-funded schools constantly deny any affiliation with Fethullah Gulen, and yet –  this particular school has a designated prayer room that also shelves Gulen related reading material.

Horizon Science Academy Denison Middle School in Cleveland  also had a prayer room that was adjacent to the Director’s office, where the door was always closed to the non-Muslim and Turkish school population. That room also housed prayer rugs and was only used by the Turkish administrators and teachers, and kept secret from the rest of the staff and students.

Below is the video link to the video of the Syracuase Academy of Science prayer room:

https://vimeo.com/105578274

Wikileaks cables about concern on Gulen revealed by Progress Ohio

Progress Ohio reports that the many thousands of secret government cables released by Wikileaks contained references to the Gulen charter schools, a number of which are being investigated by the FBI for unknown reasons. The Gulen charter chain is the largest in the nation.
State Dept. Notified CIA, National Security Council About Suspicious Charter School Visas
The U.S. State Department raised serious and repeated concerns about Turkish charter schools in America, sending cables to the CIA, Secretary of Defense and the President’s National Security Council. Special attention was paid to the large number of Turkish nationals with questionable credentials seeking visas to teach at schools such as Ohio’s Horizon Science Academies, which are linked to a controversial Islamic faith leader.
A review of over one hundred diplomatic cables made available at WikiLeaks found numerous warnings about underqualified applicants for teaching visas. One cable states that applicants “might be using the reputation of the school as a cover to get to the US.” Another, ominously observed there is “considerable debate” about whether members of their faith movement were “a threat to secular governments.”
Background
Fethullah Gulen is an exiled Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania. He is currently the subject of an extradition request[1] on charges of espionage and attempting to overthrow the Turkish government.[2] Gulen has millions of well-organized followers in central Asia and his organization is said to have “some of the characteristics of a cult.”[3] Gulen’s followers founded and administer a number of charter schools, including Ohio’s Horizon Science & Noble Academies.
These schools import the majority of their administration staff and many of their teachers on work visas from Turkey and neighboring countries. Secret diplomatic cables show that the “evasiveness” of the applicants and their “uneven at best” qualifications left State Department employees “uneasy.”They voiced these concerns to the top levels of government and even suggested the Department of Homeland Security should investigate the schools.
Memos Back Ohio Teacher Testimonies
Teachers who had worked at Dayton’s Horizon Science Academy made headlines last month when they told the state school board about apparent test tampering, attendance padding, Turish teachers who could barely speak English and even an incident when parents were not told their adolescent children were caught having oral sex at a school function.
Many of the teachers’ observations are supported by the cables. In one memo, the US consulate observed Turkish visa applicants with an “inability to speak English” and a “lack of understanding of basic math concepts (when they were going to teach math or science subjects).”
In another memo, federal officials note that Gulen schools in Turkmenistan can only employ teachers who are “fully qualified in the field.’’ Teachers employed by traditional public schools in Ohio must have a college degree and teach in the area or grade level in which they are licensed. Ohio charter schools, however, are exempt from that requirement
This led ProgressOhio Executive Director Brian Rothenberg to ask, “Why are Ohio charter schools not required to employ only qualified teachers?Taxpayers should be outraged these schools are hiring teachers who aren’t even qualified to teach in their home countries.”
Rothenberg continued, “America’s top intelligence and diplomatic personnel confirmed what a panel of Ohio teachers told the state board of education: Many of the teachers and administrators at these schools are unqualified, and students and taxpayers are suffering because of it. The only entity that doesn’t seem to understand the severity of the problem is the state school board.’’
Excerpts from Secret Cables
Over a quarter million previously secret diplomatic cables were published by WikiLeaks. ProgressOhio review approximately one hundred of them referencing Fethullah Gulen and found the following:
“There is considerable debate whether the Gulen movement represents a threat to secular governments. Skeptics argue the Gulenists seek to transform societies from the inside-out by developing sympathetic elites in a country’s government and business circles. […] Gulenists’ penchant for secrecy raises questions. For example, Gulenists seeking U.S. visas at the Embassy often are evasive about their religious views and their work-related duties in the U.S. (NOTE: Many U.S. visa applicants at the Embassy seek to work at Gulenist-linked schools in the U.S.)”[4]
“…there are concerns that Gulenist charter schools in the U.S. are capitalizing on the local successes to petition for visas for marginally qualified temporary workers.”[5]
“While on the surface a benign humanitarian movement, the ubiquitous evasiveness of Gulenist applicants — coupled with what appears to be adeliberate management of applicant profiles over the past several years — leaves Consular officers uneasy, an uneasiness echoed within Turkey by those familiar with the Gulenists.”[6]
[I]n summer/fall of 2008, the consular section received a number of visa applications for highly-skilled temporary workers (H1B) to go teach in charter schools in the U.S. The applicants all had in common a tie to a Gulenist school, either in Turkey or in Turkmenistan. Their qualifications were uneven at best. Some were bona fide teachers with several years of experience and advanced degrees. Others claimed teaching experience by assisting, volunteering, or substituting at a Gulenist school (language center or high school) in Turkmenistan. These minimally-qualified applicants prompted further investigation, and it turns out that the charter schools in the U.S. are also part of the broader Gulenist movement. The minimally-qualified applicants, petitions were returned to DHS for revocation based on a lack of qualifications, such as theirinability to speak English, possession of degrees not related to the subjects that they intended to teach and further lack of understanding of basic math concepts (when they were going to teach math or science subjects).[7]
On the other hand, we are concerned by the link with charter schools in the U.S. that have petitioned for marginally-qualified H1B candidates … These applicants were simply not convincing…might be using the reputation of the school as a cover to get to the [United States]. Post, after discussions with others in the region that see similar applicants, recommends that these H1B candidates receive a high degree of scrutiny before any visas are approved…. Further, Consular Affairs, Fraud Prevention might, in concert with the Department of Homeland Security, wish to investigate or audit these Turkish-run charter schools in the U.S. for compliance with U.S. immigration law.[8]
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/08/27/progress-ohio-wikileaks-contain-cables-about-gulen-charters/

Last of Gulen operated Fulton Science Academies in Georgia are DENIED by state

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two locally-authorized charter schools in Fulton County failed to win state charters after the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia voted against them Wednesday.
Fulton Sunshine Academy, an elementary school, and Fulton Science Academy High School each failed to impress the charter commission staff, which recommended denial in both cases. The commission was troubled by the Sunshine Academy governing board’s “lack of understanding” despite years of operating under a local charter from Fulton County Schools, commission documents said. The high school’s governing board also failed to impress, with the commission staff finding “consistent problems with the governing board’s oversight of school administration.”
An audit commissioned by Fulton County Schools and released in 2012 said the financial viability of the two schools was put at risk when the school leadership obtained a bond issue in connection with an associated middle school without knowing whether the charter of that middle school would be extended. The charter was not, but Fulton Science Academy Middle School continued as a private school and now serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as Fulton Science Academy Private School.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/two-fulton-schools-state-charter-petitions-denied/nhBPF/

WILL THE DENIED GULEN CHARTER SCHOOL FULTON ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL JOIN THE FULTON SCIENCE PRIVATE SCHOOL CAMPUS?

 



September 10, 2014

ATLANTA – Officials with Fulton Science Academy High School (FSAHS) and the Fulton Sunshine Academy elementary school (FSAES) are pinning their hopes on Fulton school leaders to keep their charter status after a thumbs down vote from the state.

Last month, the State Charter School Commission (SCSC) cited management and operational concerns in denying state charter status to the two Alpharetta-based schools.

Currently, both schools are nearing the end of their five-year charters from the Fulton Board of Education (FCBOE). If the charters are not renewed beyond their June end date, the options to remain open become limited.

"With the state options now gone, the boards [of both schools] are 100 percent focused on doing whatever it takes to retain their charters with Fulton County," said David Rubinger, a spokesman for FSAHS and FSAES.

He expressed disappointment with the SCSC, which offered no comment in its decision to deny a charter to the two schools despite evidence the schools are performing well and providing a positive educational option to the area. The two schools were among nine petitions considered during the Aug. 27 meeting of the commission; five were approved.

During a presentation to the SCSC prior to their vote, Maria Beug-Deeb, chair of the FSAHS governing board, outlined changes to the board including the addition of two new members with experience in legal and financial issues.

"I assure you we are an effective board and we have worked hard to expand our effectiveness," said Beug-Deeb. "With the collaboration of the Georgia Charter School Association, [we have] devised a detailed transition plan designed to meet the stringent requirements of the State Charter School Commission."

The school currently enrolls 276 students, with the majority of the students in the ninth grade. The school opened 10 years ago.

The decision to deny state status to FSAHS was centered on governance issues, according to a report from the SCSC. The commission questioned whether the "governing board could properly oversee the operation of the school and hold the school leader accountable." It also cited a "history of inadequate governance" that led to a fractured relationship with the Fulton County School System.

Two years ago, the FCBOE voted to terminate the charter with FSAHS. However that decision was turned down by the Georgia Department of Education, allowing the school to finish out its charter.

The presentation from the Fulton Sunshine Academy to the SCSC pointed out the school has an enrollment of 550 students, with a waiting list of several hundred, and performs well academically.

"Fulton Sunshine Academy is one of the brightest spots for elementary education in Georgia," said Metin Oguzmert, chair of the school's governing board. "[The school] is among the highest ranked charter elementary schools in Fulton County, [and] a model for how a successful charter program works."

The denial for the Sunshine Academy appeared more procedural than deficiency. The school failed to demonstrate why its students would "benefit from operating as a state charter school rather than a locally approved charter school."

The petitions for charter renewal from the two schools will be submitted to the Fulton School System this month. After review, the petitions will be forwarded to the FCBOE, with a vote on Nov. 20.

While they await a final decision, the school year continues "normally" for students at FSAHS and FSAES.

"Our first priority is to ensure our schools continue performing at the exceptional level they have already achieved," said Rubinger. "We remain fully funded…[and] this process will have no impact on the schools' operation for this school year."
http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-COLUMNISTS-c-2014-09-10-205201.114126-sub-State-denies-FSA-charter.html