Fairfield officials have issued violations against Al-Ghazaly High School after discovering that the private Islamic school enrolled more than three times its approved number of students while seeking permission to expand to 400.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A private Islamic school in Fairfield, New Jersey, is facing zoning violations and municipal court proceedings after local officials discovered that it was operating with 313 students despite having approval for only 90, prompting concerns about regulatory compliance, traffic and public safety.
Al-Ghazaly High School, operated by the Islamic Educational Foundation of New Jersey, disclosed its enrollment during an Oct. 13 Planning Board hearing concerning a proposed expansion of its campus at 369 Passaic Avenue. School administrators were seeking permission to accommodate as many as 400 students and 46 staff members, but board members questioned why enrollment had already exceeded the existing authorization.
The school received a Certificate of Re-Occupancy earlier this year allowing it to use a property previously operated as a county educational facility. That authorization retained the site’s existing limit of 90 students and 40 staff members, according to reporting by The Progress, part of New Jersey Hills Media Group.
The discrepancy became a central issue during the hearing when Hayat Jaludi, executive director of IEF Schools, acknowledged that the institution had been operating with substantially more students than the approved limit. Board members challenged the decision, saying administrators did not have authority to increase enrollment before receiving municipal approval.
“Hold on, hold on — how can you have 314 students in a building when you’re only allowed to have 90?” one board member asked.
Jaludi explained that school administrators believed the building could accommodate their enrollment and had proceeded with classes rather than disrupt students’ education.
“We came into this building assuming that we have the occupancy of whatever enrolled students we have,” she told the board.
“Unfortunately, um, we attempted to have the 90 student capacity — if there are any educators in this room, you’ll understand and appreciate the importance of not disrupting or interrupting students’ right to be educated.”
The school began holding classes at its Fairfield location in September after relocating from its previous campus in Wayne. The Islamic Educational Foundation had purchased the property in 2025 following a search for a larger facility.
According to the foundation’s description of the campus, the approximately 4.8-acre property includes 26 classrooms and 180 parking spaces. The school serves high school students and has also introduced a middle school division.
Although the building is substantially larger than many conventional school facilities, municipal officials said its physical size did not authorize administrators to exceed the student limit established under the property’s zoning approvals.
Jaludi acknowledged that the institution had decided to continue operating with its existing enrollment despite the regulatory restrictions.
“We made the decision to try to run the school with that capacity of students and we’ve been successful so far,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say we blatantly decided that it doesn’t matter,” she added. “We are law-abiding citizens. We understand. However, I do have a community of 313 students with an interruption to their education.”
Her explanation drew objections from board members, who emphasized that educational considerations did not allow school administrators to make unilateral decisions about occupancy and land-use approvals.
Fairfield Mayor William Galese, who participated in the proceedings, said officials were responsible for considering the interests of the broader community alongside those of the school’s students and families.
“We have a community of 8,000 people who need to be answered for, and this is exactly one of the things they put us here to do,” Galese said.
Another board member compared the school’s decision to exceeding a posted speed limit simply because road conditions appeared to permit faster driving.
“When I drive down the Garden State Parkway and there are no cars on the road, I know my car can do 120 miles an hour,” the member said. “It doesn’t mean I can do it. You don’t have the jurisdiction to make that decision unilaterally.”
When Jaludi described the enrollment decision as something other than “a haphazard decision,” Galese responded that “it wasn’t your decision to make.”
The disagreement centers on the difference between a facility’s ability to physically accommodate students and the number legally permitted under municipal land-use regulations.
According to FOX 5 New York’s coverage of the Planning Board hearing, the school was already serving 313 students when representatives appeared before the board seeking approval to increase capacity. That enrollment was 223 students above the authorized limit, approximately 248% more than permitted.
The discrepancy also attracted attention in a Daily Mail report examining the school’s enrollment and zoning dispute, which described questions raised during the public hearing.
The school’s attorney, Michael J. Piromalli, indicated that the enrollment discrepancy was “news to me” during the proceedings. His comments raised additional questions about how the school had coordinated its expansion application with its actual operations.
Residents attending the meeting expressed concerns about traffic conditions, parking and pedestrian safety near the Passaic Avenue property. Several questioned whether approving a larger student population would increase congestion in an area already affected by the school’s daily arrival and dismissal schedules.
Those concerns are relevant to the municipal approval process because zoning authorities assess more than the physical capacity of a building when considering changes in permitted use.
Traffic circulation, available parking, emergency vehicle access, neighboring properties and public infrastructure can all affect whether a proposed expansion is appropriate.
Fairfield officials have maintained that the existing enrollment violated the property’s land-use approval regardless of whether classrooms were physically large enough to accommodate the students.
Following the Planning Board meeting, the township issued zoning violation notices and summonses requiring the school to address the discrepancy through municipal court proceedings.
The violations concern the school’s failure to comply with its authorized enrollment limit. They do not, by themselves, establish that the building presents an immediate fire or structural hazard.
That distinction became important after municipal officials conducted an emergency inspection of the campus.
On Oct. 14, Fairfield’s fire official examined the approximately 42,000-square-foot building and determined that no immediate fire-code violation justified an emergency shutdown.
The inspection found that the building could physically accommodate its existing student population without creating the type of imminent danger that would warrant immediate closure.
However, the finding did not alter the school’s zoning authorization or approve the larger enrollment.
As additional reporting on the township’s enforcement actions explained, the fire inspection and zoning violations involve separate regulatory requirements. A building may comply with applicable fire safety standards while remaining in violation of land-use restrictions.
Consequently, the school has continued operating while its application and municipal enforcement matters proceed.
The Islamic Educational Foundation has agreed to provide additional information concerning enrollment, fire safety and traffic conditions before the Planning Board resumes consideration of its application.
The board postponed further proceedings until Nov. 10, when officials are scheduled to examine whether the proposed increase to 400 students and 46 staff members can satisfy applicable requirements.
The adjournment gives the school an opportunity to submit supporting documentation and respond to questions raised by municipal officials and residents.
It does not represent approval of the requested expansion.
Al-Ghazaly High School has operated in northern New Jersey for decades. Founded in Jersey City in 1984, the institution later relocated portions of its educational programs to Wayne before selecting the Fairfield property.
The foundation also operates Al-Hikmah Elementary School in Prospect Park, providing an educational program rooted in Islamic teachings alongside conventional academic instruction.
Its Fairfield campus is intended to accommodate students in grades six through 12, expanding the institution’s ability to serve families seeking private religious education.
The school’s religious affiliation, however, does not exempt it from generally applicable municipal zoning and safety requirements. The current dispute concerns the property’s approved use, the number of students enrolled and whether the school obtained the necessary authorization before expanding its operations.
The controversy has also generated substantial attention on social media after footage of the Planning Board hearing circulated online.
An X post sharing the exchange between school administrators and Fairfield officials drew attention to the disagreement over whether administrators could exceed the existing student limit while requesting permission for a larger enrollment.
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Fairfield subsequently disabled public comments on its YouTube recording of the hearing, citing insensitive and anti-Islamic statements appearing in response to the proceedings. Township officials said the restrictions were intended to address inappropriate comments visible to members of the public, including children associated with the school.
The online reaction has added another dimension to a dispute that municipal authorities must resolve under existing zoning procedures.
At the Oct. 13 meeting, officials did not approve the school’s request to increase enrollment. Instead, they required additional information to evaluate the proposed expansion and its potential effects on neighboring properties.
The Planning Board’s recorded actions confirm that the application was adjourned to Nov. 10 pending further review of traffic, safety and capacity issues. <Cite ref=”turn670474search3″/>
That process leaves two related matters unresolved: whether the school will receive authorization to serve more students and how the township will address violations associated with enrollment exceeding the existing approval.
School administrators have emphasized their responsibility to students and families already attending the institution. Municipal officials have responded that those obligations do not eliminate the need to obtain required approvals before changing the scale of operations.
The township must also consider concerns raised by nearby residents about traffic and the surrounding neighborhood, along with the findings of the emergency fire inspection.
For now, Al-Ghazaly High School remains open with its enrollment dispute unresolved, while the municipality pursues zoning enforcement and prepares to review the requested expansion.
The Nov. 10 hearing will determine the next stage of the school’s application, although separate municipal court proceedings may be necessary to resolve the existing violations. Any increase in authorized enrollment will require formal approval rather than a unilateral decision by school administrators.
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