DETROIT — A Detroit private school attended by Muslim students, mostly from Dearborn, closed abruptly last week, leaving over 100 kids without a school.

Frustrated parents of former students of the American Muslim Academy in Detroit discuss the school’s abrupt closure during a meeting at the Islamic library of Dearborn on Wednesday. PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN

Several parents said they’ve since registered their kids at different public and charter schools, but that they went several days without knowing whether the American Muslim Academy on Ohio Street in west Detroit would reopen.
After a Sept. 30 party at the school celebrating Eid al-Fitr, said parent Inaya Bazzi, whose 8-year-old son Ismail attended the school the last two years, school officials sent a message home with students saying the school would temporarily close the next day because of “major electrical problems” in the building.

“I believed it for two days,” Bazzi said.

She said she realized something was wrong when she called DTE Energy and was told there were no known electrical issues at the building.

After many failed attempts over several days to reach the school’s director, Mahmoud Hazime, parents said, they received word this week that the school had filed for bankruptcy and officially closed.

Calls to the school and to a phone number said to belong to Hazime were not answered Thursday. Voice mailboxes were full.

Some parents initially expressed fears that Hazime had run off with their tuition money, but during a meeting of about 30 parents at the Islamic Library of Dearborn on Wednesday, some said they had made contact with Hazime, and that he remains in town.

“It’s my understanding that the guy wants an opportunity to explain himself,” said attorney Ali Dagher, who consulted the group of parents Wednesday. “He’s just waiting for the dust to settle.”

He said he estimates about $100,000 was collected in tuition for this school year and that Hazime probably put the money to use trying to keep the school open.

“We shouldn’t rush to judgement. From what I learned from the parents, the school has always had problems. He simply decided to close the company… We want to find out what happened and return the money to the people.”

Financial statements for 2006 posted on the school’s website indicate the operation lost over $280,000 that year.

Parents expressed frustration that they had not known how deep the school’s financial troubles ran, despite having paid tuition of $4,000 per student per year, plus contributions at fundraising dinners.

“I’m just shocked he would do such a thing,” said Bazzi of Hazime, upset over being left in the dark for days before getting word of the closure.

She said she was able to quickly enroll her third grader in the Dearborn Public Schools system, where she works as a literacy coach.

Bazzi said former American Muslim Academy Principal Michele Jarrait has helped parents retrieve records and supplies at the school.

“It’s not her fault. She’s just an employee,” Bazzi said.

Jarrait and several staff members of the school have not responded to emails requesting comment.

“I’m trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but we want an explanation,” said parent Ali Baydoun. “That’s all we want. If the ship is sinking, why take everybody down with you?”

Baydoun said he placed his daughter, in third grade, into Dearborn’s public McCollough-Unis School. Others entered their kids into Star Academy charter school and Muslim American Youth Academy.

Baydoun said he’s disappointed his girl won’t continue learning the language and religion of her heritage.

“She loved the school… She knows how to read and write Arabic — I don’t. It was a good school. It’s a shame it had to go like this.”