Arab School To Face Scrutiny At Emergency Parent Meeting

The Arabic theme of a new public school may be a point of contention at an emergency parent meeting called tonight at the Brooklyn high school slated to house the new school.

The Khalil Gibran International Academy, which is named after a Lebanese Christian philosopher, was originally planned for an elementary school in Park Slope, P.S. 282. Those plans were abandoned after parents protested about overcrowding.

But opponents at the school's proposed new home, a Dean Street school building that currently holds the Brooklyn High School of the Arts and the Math and Science Exploratory School, a middle school, may also raise concerns about the school's focus on Arabic language and culture. Parents have said they are frustrated that they were not consulted before the department made an announcement about the school's planned location in their building, which some say is too crowded to house it.

A parent of a seventh grader at the middle school, Katia Lief, said she is concerned about the school's theme, which has prompted criticism that the school could foster extremist political and religious views.

"I personally don't understand how they're separating culture from religion," Ms. Lief, a writer, said. "It's not racism, it's concern for the integrity of a secular school system. … I think they're going to be funding a cultural-religious school. I think it's inevitable."

The school will be located in a neighborhood heavily populated by Arab Americans. Ms. Lief said she worried that the school population would end up becoming mostly "girls in burkas," and would further isolate a community that is already marginalized.

"Once you form a school that is based on one specific culture you're ghettoizing a group of people," Ms. Lief said.

The Department of Education, in a statement, repeated past assurances that the school would be secular.

"The school is not a vehicle for religious ideology and if it shows indications of becoming one, we will close it," the statement said. Any student can apply to the school.

A department spokeswoman, Melody Meyer, said the department was confident there is room for the third school in the new building location, which has a capacity of 1,900. She said department officials had met with the parent leadership and administrators at both schools before the announcement was made last week.

The high school is expected to enroll 762 students next year, while the middle school is expected to enroll 458. That leaves about 680 open seats for Khalil Gibran, which is expected to enroll 60 sixth graders in its first year.