A Twin Cities charter school — in the spotlight for years over policies that some say promote Islam — has agreed to make changes to appease state education officials.
Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy officials on Thursday extended school hours, changed the student dress code and adopted a new religious accommodations policy.
With campuses in Inver Grove Heights and Blaine, the changes were adopted so the Minnesota Education Department would approve its application for a new overseer to manage the school, said Asad Zaman, the academy’s executive director.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the academy in federal court over claims it promotes religion with its school policies and close ties to its current overseer, Islamic Relief-USA. The lawsuit is scheduled for trial in June.
The academy, known as TiZA, will lose its current overseer June 30 because of a new state law banning out-of-state sectarian groups from performing the function. Without an overseer, the school would have to shut down.
TiZA’s current authorizer is the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Islamic Relief-USA.
Because of the possible closure, Zaman said, 10 teachers have asked for recommendations for other jobs. At least one plans to quit. He fears more will follow if the state does not approve the school’s application.
“The issue is about the students that will suffer if their teachers do not have jobs,” Zaman said. “We have high-quality teachers; we don’t want to lose any of them.”
Changes in Minnesota’s charter school statute have left dozens of schools scrambling to find new state-approved authorizers.
Some groups have pulled out because the rules require stricter, time-consuming oversight of charters’ curricula and finances.
In February, Minneapolis-based Novation Education Opportunities applied to serve as authorizer for TiZA, which has about 530 students in grades kindergarten through 10th.
But Zaman said the Education Department has dragged its feet on the application. He said state officials have told him they expected issues involving the school’s policies “would be addressed in our transfer application.”
In a statement, the department said it is reviewing Novation’s request but that the application remains incomplete.
“The department takes every authorizer transfer request it receives very seriously and only makes a decision after careful and thorough review,” the statement said.
Zaman said he has requested a meeting with department officials to resolve the issues.
Changes to the school policies would take effect next year.
Under the changes, the school day will be extended by 45 minutes. Currently, school ends at 3:30 p.m. and students spend an extra 45 minutes on campus participating in afterschool activities, such as Girl Scouts and programs offered through the Muslim American Society.
Much of the dress code policy, which requires students to wear uniforms, remained the same.
However, the new policy eliminates a requirement that said, “Religious beliefs and practices of students are protected. Wearing of religious garb is acceptable.”
The policy still permits students to wear religious headscarves and caps.
The board handbook also includes a new five-page religious policy, which mirrors the Constitution barring public entities from prohibiting or promoting religion.
“Even in the past, we were accommodating all religions, but we just didn’t have it formally in writing,” Zaman said.
TiZA leaders also approved the creation of severance packages for teachers if the school closes, Zaman said.
The packages are to encourage teachers to stay in their jobs.
Shamus O’Meara, an attorney representing the school, said he does not expect the school’s policy changes to affect the ACLU federal lawsuit.
Teresa Nelson, an attorney with the ACLU of Minnesota, said the lawsuit is about more than the school’s policies.
“Those are issues,” she said. “But our concern is about the overall connection that the school has with religious organizations.”
