Comments about ‘Islamic links to Utah's Beehive Academy probed’

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...

Of course the school can't find qualified math and science teachers if they give back a third of their supposed salary to this Gulen fellow. Sounds like a weird conspiracy, indeed.

Charter schools are not known for making their educators rich, regardless the weird affiliation with a religious figure.

what's sad is that with all the whackiness going on under the covers, and the weird hiring practices and the many turkish immigrant teachers that they continue to score so much better than state run schools that hire teachers with credentials, etc.

Wow. This is kind of creepy. I think these schools and their connections need to be investigated further.

A majority of Turkish teachers in a Utah school seems very odd. It wouldn't in a community with a large Turkish presence, but here it doesn't make sense.

Looks like these kids are afraid of their own shadows. Maybe they need mommy and daddy to hold their hand while they mill around trying to figure out what a protest is?

This is an example of how so-called political correctness has made our leaders far too soft. Instead of protecting the security of this Country, our leaders are focused on avoiding anything that might avoid anybody. The Founding Fathers would not have put up with the government funding extremist groups that have a stated purpose of destroying this Country. Where are the statesmen of the past?

Where are the adults here?
Who is sending their kids to this school?
Vote with your feet.
Unless you want this trash poured into their heads.
Charter schools should be funded based on three things:
~Student population.
~Teacher certification.
~Performance to academic standards.
Let's not blame the charter school concept here. We need to weed out the agenda-driven, poorly managed schools.

are the grade scores verifiable?

is standard testing independently administered and scored from the moment the test begins to the moment the results is tallied ?

this wouldn't be the first time a teacher, an administrator, a school "fixed" a test.

The call for Jihad is much more difficult in America because:

1. Americans are not as desperately poor people as the the recruiters for Islamic Terrorist are used to and therefore less prone to be manipulated by money

2.These organizations will not get "free" work out of Americans, who because of generally being educated don't but into the jihad mentality as easily as poverty driven minds.

Shut down the school.

Now THAT'S reporting! Take that, Trib!

An interesting note, you don't have to be an American Citizen to start up a charter school in Utah. Is this the same in the other states? Are they passing around the same charter application? All you have to do is have a charter that will be accepted.

This is quite possibly the best reporting I've read all year in any paper anywhere in the country. Well done!

Yet another nail in the charter school coffin. It is time to shut the whole charter program down. It is obvious the parents are clueless here. Who in their right mind would be sending their kids to a school like this?

Too many parents in Utah are in love with the charter concept and the appearance of "eliteness" that it gives them. They don't even research who is behind the school or who is teaching there.

Where is the Utah Tax Payers Association on this one? This school is using OUR TAX MONEY to fund immigration from Turkey. Nice job Utah Tax Payers Association. This is what we want our tax money spent on.

I call for all legislators to shut down the charter school program and return the money to our local schools where it should be going.

This is an outrage and a disgrace.

Great job reporting. I hope to hear much more about this story.

Did you even read the part where the school still scores top 20 in Utah!? That's why parents would send their kids there. The reporting did a great job of pointing out the chaotic teaching environment, which I agree is WHACKO, but still, even if there's a whole slew of rotten apples underneath the hood, to be top 20 in testing says something really pathetic about the rest of the state's schools...

It is amusing that people are calling for the charter schools to shut down. It is like our public schools are all that wonderful. The political correctness in this country is over the top and if the government would just enforce our laws we could avoid situations like this.

Life Long Republican should know that there are many charter schools in the state doing a great job, populated by the children of many other lifelong Republicans. I recommend the DNews go check out some of those schools, like Monticello Academy in West Valley City, Canyon Rim Academy in East Millcreek, and American Preparatory Academy. DNews should also check out some the problems at schools at Granite District schools, where there are struggles and problems, not with Turks but with unhappy, incompetent adminstration and staff. That's why the flight to charters, where parents are desperately in need of alternatives like these charters. In my family's case, it has been a wonderful contrast. I thank heaven for charter schools. Parents should wise up when making their choices. I looked at Beehive and saw problems. If the State Board has any power at all (which it doesn't seem to) and if it is into solving problems, look at why the junior highs and elementary schools in GSD are so weak.

@raybies

You're right. If the article is right in that there is no training for new teachers (at least for new American teachers) and many teachers come from Turkey with no experience and little if any English skills, how are they in the top 20 out of 160 schools?

Behive needs a "screen" like being in the top 20 to hide all these anomalities. It sure needs to be investigated further. It sounds at least as a scheme to make money from our tax money.

And people is worried about illegal latinos. This is far more risky! And most at all, how in the name of heaven they bring turkish people as teachers when there are so many teachers here that need jobs? I don't pay taxes to help bringing turkish people with green cards, I paid for education and to provide jobs to current american citizens or residents IN the country.

@raybies (9:02 a.m.):

"Did you even read the part where the school still scores top 20 in Utah!?"

Any school can do it... just teach to the tests.

@mecr (9:23 a.m.)

"And people is worried about illegal Latinos."

They haven't thought of it yet. Give them time.