WEST HILLS : 1st Islamic School in Valley to Be Dedicated

Marking the end of a three-year project, leaders of the Islamic Center of Northridge will dedicate the first private Islamic elementary school in the San Fernando Valley on Saturday.

The Al-Falaq Academy in West Hills will teach Arabic and Koranic studies in addition to the basic curriculum required by California’s Education Code.

Leaders of the Northridge center estimate that about 6,000 Muslims live in the Valley. While there are five full-time Koranic elementary schools in Southern California--three in Los Angeles, one in Pasadena and one in Orange County--there are none in the Valley.

Brenda Sampson, a member of the Northridge center, has enrolled her daughter Parissa in the school’s second-grade class.

“I want my daughter to be able to read the Koran in Arabic and be with children that eat the same type of food and were raised with the same moral values,” Sampson said.

The academy is housed in a building rented from the Los Angeles Unified School District at 6624 Lockhurst Drive. To date, about 35 students have enrolled, but organizers are still accepting applications and expect the number to increase by the start of school on Sept. 13. With a maximum of 20 students in each of the four classrooms, the school could serve as many as 80.

Students will wear uniforms like those at other parochial schools, and begin each day with an Islamic prayer. The $40,000 for start-up costs were donated by two of the center’s leaders. The monthly tuition is $250, with discounts for families with more than one child.

The open house Saturday will be from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information call (818) 340-0259.