Parents demonstrating outside a controversial Islamic college in Adelaide have received letters saying their children will be expelled because of their actions.
The parents have been protesting outside the school gates for months about how the school is being run.
Bayan Mohamed, who has three children at the school, said he and fellow protestors had a right to demonstrate.
“We have concerns and issues in regard to how the school is run,” Mr Mohamed said.
“The board said there is no issue. There is no concern and they are not ready to meet us.
“So we decided to protest, because this is the only way to voice our concerns and opinion in regard to the school.”
He has now received a letter saying his children are at risk of being expelled.
It said: “The college acknowledges the right of all parents to express concerns (whether real or perceived) about the operation of the college ... however, your continued participation in the protests outside the gates of the college go well beyond this right.”
The letter said the protests were interrupting the running of the school.
“It is incumbent on all members of the community to respect and support the rights of others, including allowing students and parents to attend and participate in the life of the college without harassment or disruption,” it said.
Mr Mohamed said he knew of five other families who had also received letters.
About 20 parents protested outside the school on Friday.
“To show them that there is nothing wrong with what we are doing and we are not going to compromise our rights,” Mr Mohamed said.
Parents claim mismanagement is behind protests
Parents have undertaken several protests at the school this year, claiming mismanagement by the school’s board had resulted in the sacking of key staff and the decline of academic standards.
It has been condemned by a senior group of SA imams who said the removal of a moderate Muslim teacher was “un-Islamic”.
Imams Council of SA said it had been shocked by alleged incidents at the school, which included the expulsion of a 15-year-old student via a text message after he protested a teacher’s dismissal.
In a statement at the time, the Islamic school’s board chairman Farouk Khan said recent principals had left for various reasons, including retirement or due to personal circumstances.
He said a long-serving teacher had been dismissed because of a serious incident at the school but it could not be outlined for privacy reasons.
Protesting parents who received letters have been asked to attend a meeting to provide reasons why their children should not be expelled.
If not, their children’s enrolment will be terminated from the end of term, which is next week.
Mr Mohamed said he was shocked by the letter.
“It’s really shocking and it’s signed by the principal himself,” he said.
“The way they did it [the school] is really shocking. What we have been scared of is happening. It’s ‘my way or the highway’.”
Parents also claim the school has been segregating students by gender, enforcing the wearing of head coverings by non-Muslim staff, and that one teenager student had been forced to get a haircut.
School under audit by Federal Government
The school is one of six run by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils that are currently being audited by the Federal Government.
Auditors visited the schools in June over concerns about governance and financial management.
The Islamic College of South Australia denied any wrongdoing and said it was cooperating fully with the investigation.
Mr Mohamed said he would like to see the investigation progress faster because it was too slow.
“Are they are waiting for the children to be expelled from the school?” he said.
Education Minister Susan Close said the interest of the children should come first.
“I am concerned to hear the allegations of threats of expulsion at the Islamic College of South Australia,” she said.
“I have ensured this week that the [Government’s standards board] has been made aware of the latest allegations.
“Of course, any student is also welcome to attend a state school.”
The South Australian Government has also asked its Education and Early Childhood Services Registration and Standards Board to look into the school.
The ABC has contacted the school for a response.