Dove School Of Discovery Responds To Claims Of Terrorism Link

Dove School of Discovery is responding to a Washington Post report about First Lady Melania Trump’s visit Monday to a school some claim is linked to terrorism.

The Washington Post story says Dove is one of a number of charter schools in the U.S. linked to the Gulen movement. Fethullah Gulen is a controversial Turkish religious leader who lives in the U.S.

For years, the U.S. has refused to extradite him and Gulen is a point of contention in Turkey-U.S. relations.

This week, a Turkish news outlet went so far as to say Dove school is run by a Gulen terrorist organization. CBS news reports Gulen's followers have opened up a number of U.S charter schools over the past two decades.

Dove sent News On 6 a statement in which they never mention Gulen:

Dove Schools is not involved in the political turmoil taking place in Turkey in any way.

Dove Schools first began serving Oklahoma students in 2000. In the 19 school years, DOVE has consistently succeeded in providing a rigorous college preparatory STEM-based curriculum with a strong emphasis on discipline, character education, and service to the community. With a diverse student body of over 85% minority (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Others) and over 80% free/reduced lunch each year of operation, Dove serves the students and families who need the most help, in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

We consider it a great honor this week to have hosted First Lady Melania Trump. She and the White House could have chosen any number of high-performing schools across the country. They chose Dove because it’s a character-based school with extraordinary results in academic achievement.

As Mrs. Trump said, “Dove Schools embody kindness, respect, positive interactions, and strong character through the curriculum.”

Dove Schools is not affiliated with any religious or social organization. In fact, as a public charter schools, any such association is prohibited. Dove Schools is run by an independent board of directors.

We are proud of our status as one of Oklahoma’s best-performing schools, which routinely has 100 percent college acceptance rate among graduating seniors. Our children and their families are our priority, and will continue to be our primary focus.

 Board Chair Mary Blankenship Pointer 

The First Lady's spokeswoman told the Post that they thoroughly vetted the school and that they visited based on Dove's achievements.