Asalamu Alaikum,
Jazakum Allahu khairun to the Muslim Link for attending the Tarbiyah Academy Town Hall meeting and for writing the follow up article (“Tarbiyah Academy Collects Data, Readies Business Plan” from the June 1, 2012 issue of the Muslim Link). We appreciate your writing about this project.
We would like to say, however, that there is a part of the article that is not reflective of the vision of Tarbiyah.
Your article contained the following paragraph: One guest asked about how inclusive Tarbiyah Academy will be, given that “the African American community [was] visibly absent in the room”. Sumida there will be sibling discounts to help with tuition load, but on the educational level he acknowledged the IB program is not a fit for every student.
The paragraph can be misinterpreted by readers to show that we plan to reach out to the African American community by offering sibling discounts. It also can be interpreted to say that the IB curriculum is not a fit for those students. Tarbiyah Academy aims to be accessible and welcoming to students and families of every cultural background. We plan to teach and celebrate diversity that is inherent in our deen. Teachers will receive professional development training on working with students of all cultures. Discounts and financial aid will be available to all families regardless of background. The IB curriculum not being a fit for every student was pertaining to students at extreme ends of the educational spectrum, not ethnicity. Over the course of the week of meetings, there were families in attendance that represented a variety of cultures and backgrounds including Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Arab, and others. InshaAllah, we would greatly appreciate if some clarifications can be made to the article available online to reduce the misunderstanding, as well as a correction posted in the next issue.
Jazakum Allahu khairun. Wasalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
--Tarbiyah Academy Board
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