Fairfield, N.J., Islamic school faces summonses over enrollment of 313 in building approved for 90
Al-Ghazaly Jr./Sr. High School, run by the Islamic Education Foundation of New Jersey (IEF) at 369 Passaic Avenue in Fairfield Township, N.J., has received zoning violation notices and summonses over its enrollment, Hoodline reported on Oct. 21. According to the Township of Fairfield, as cited by Hoodline, the property previously housed a county-run reform and alternative school approved for a maximum of 90 students and 40 staff. Hoodline, citing New Jersey Hills Media Group, reported that IEF received a certificate of occupancy to operate under those prior county approvals.
At an Oct. 13 Planning Board hearing on IEF's request for final site plan approval to raise the school's permitted capacity to 400 students and 46 staff, IEF executive director Hayat Jaludi confirmed that the school's enrollment was 313, Hoodline reported, citing New Jersey Hills Media Group. FOX 5 New York reported on Oct. 16 that board members discovered during testimony that the school was already educating 313 children despite an approved zoning limit of 90.
In a public notice quoted by The Rothman Report, the township said it received information on the evening of Oct. 13 that the daily student population exceeds 300, "which is beyond the capacity permitted in the CRO and prior approvals." The notice said the Zoning Officer has issued violation notices and summonses for occupancy beyond approved limits and for noncompliance with conditions the board imposed in the prior approval, and that the matter "will proceed both administratively and before the municipal court."
The notice said the Fire Official inspected the building on the morning of Oct. 14 and found no imminent hazard requiring immediate closure, "even with the excessive student population." It described the roughly 42,000-square-foot building as "designed to safely accommodate the current occupancy" and said "nothing in the fire safety code permits the Township to close the school on an emergency basis," according to The Rothman Report.
Hoodline reported that the Planning Board adjourned the application to a new hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 10, after the school agreed to cooperate with the township and supply documentation on fire safety, student population and traffic. According to Hoodline, residents at the hearing demanded the school be shut down as soon as possible, raised concerns about traffic and pedestrian and driver safety, and opposed granting the 400-student capacity outright; some claimed the violation was intentional. Hoodline reported that Jaludi has said the school exceeded its capacity rather than disrupt students' education, and that she is represented by attorney Michael J. Piromalli.
The township disabled comments on its YouTube video of the hearing, saying in a public notice that some comments included "insensitive and anti-Islamic statements" viewed by a wide audience, including children who attend the school, according to The Rothman Report. Hoodline reported that the school remains open while the Planning Board's Nov. 10 hearing and the municipal court proceedings are pending.