News
Teachers at closed Incirlik school preparing to leave Turkey
Stars and Stripes
April 11, 2016
Families of U.S. airmen and families of Department of Defense civilians board an Atlas Air 747 airliner April 1, 2016, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. All Department of Defense dependents were assigned to leave because of security concerns. About 40 teachers at Defense Department-run schools are expected to begin moving in about three weeks. (Jack Sanders/U.S. Air Force)
About 40 Department of Defense school teachers are preparing for moves from Incirlik Air Base, where the school closed last month as hundreds of dependents were ordered to leave the country because of security concerns.
Teachers are expected to begin moving in about three weeks, said Will Griffin, spokesman for Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe.
“They are going through administrative things now, and that takes a little time,” Griffin said.
DODEA is also working individually with teachers to help them find new assignments at other schools, he said.
Last month, U.S. European Command ordered the departure of nearly 700 family members from Turkey in connection with security concerns in the region. That affected about 250 students at Incirlik Elementary/High School, which was forced to end its school year early.
For teachers, one of the glitches slowing the departure from base is the time-consuming process of preparing household goods for moves, which tends to take more time in Turkey than other regions, Griffin said.
With no sign that the military is prepared to return dependents to Incirlik any time soon, it is unlikely that Incirlik schools will reopen next year.
“We are operating under that assumption,” Griffin said.
Security in Turkey remains a concern, with the State Department issuing a weekend warning of possible attacks at tourist areas in Istanbul and Antalya.