Questions about Sonoran Science Academy charter?

by David Safier

Tucson Weekly has an article about some parents' concerns that Sonoran Science Academy charter schools are too closely linked to the cause of Turkish scholar and Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.

I've received a few emails about this but never followed up, mainly because the emails had that ranting, everywhere-at-once quality that makes me question the reliability of the source. But the Weekly thought it was worth exploring.

. . . several Sonoran Academy parents believe the school has a hidden agenda to promote Gülen's brand of Turkish nationalism, advance sympathy for that country's political goals such as winning acceptance into the European Union, and discourage official acknowledgement of Turkey's genocide against the Armenians during World War I.

I know very little about the schools other than their good academic reputations and absolutely nothing about the allegations. However, two passages in the Weekly are potential red flags to me.

. . . most of those parents have resisted coming forward, fearing reprisal from an organization they say is known to target critics . . .

Is this parents being silly or paranoid, or do they have some reason for concern?

Then there's this statement from Fatih Karatas, the middle school principal, which gives possible validity to their fears.

"I'm hoping that they know that these are defamatory allegations which may put them in trouble later on. These are excelling schools. … I hope they are aware of what they're doing."

When a school warns parents not to air concerns, that concerns me. As I've written many times, transparency is one of the keys to allowing people to know more about the quality of charter schools. Even if these parents' concerns are groundless — I don't know one way or another — the parents should not feel afraid to share them freely.