Marrakech – After multiple failed attempts by Morocco World News (MWN) to get a response from the American School of Ifrane (ASI), also known as Al Akhawayn School and affiliated with Al Akhawayn University, the school has finally broken its silence regarding the controversial expulsion of 16 students that sparked outrage among parents and public figures earlier this week.
ASI’s administration issued a detailed statement addressing the matter, attributing the action to “repeated violations of the school’s internal regulations” by seven families.
“The measures that the school was forced to take, about six months ago, against the seven families concerned came exclusively as a result of recurring violations by these families of the school’s internal regulations,” the administration explained in its public clarification.
According to the statement, these families engaged in “serious, repetitive and continuous harassment and intimidation of teachers and administrative staff,” which allegedly led to the departure of four consecutive directors and several teachers.
The school further claimed the parents attempted to “substitute themselves for the School Board and the administration” by aggressively trying to influence decisions regarding “human resources management, choice of textbooks, pedagogical orientations, budget management and technology integration.”
The “prestigious institution,” as it describes itself, whose graduates have been accepted to universities including Yale, Brown, and George Washington, stressed that its “absolute priority has always been the protection and well-being of its approximately 250 students.”
The school also accused these families of “intimidation and harassment of families who disagree with them, and sometimes even their children,” which it considered another serious violation of school norms.
The statement further noted that the seven families had previously filed 49 legal proceedings against the school without success, with two cases still pending before the courts. “We reaffirm our full confidence in the justice system to decide with complete independence and serenity,” the administration concluded.
Ex-Marine management style sparks major backlash
The controversy began when the school administration introduced sudden increases in tuition fees, reportedly reaching 200% in some cases compared to the previous year. Parents claimed these fees were unjustified given the declining quality of education and services provided.
In their defense, parents have raised several concerns beyond the fee hikes. They alleged the school lacks a clear curriculum, with teachers reportedly resorting to AI tools like ChatGPT to prepare lessons.
Parents also criticized the school’s unconventional approach of grouping students from different grade levels together, creating what they described as a “chaotic” learning environment.
The case has gained additional attention due to questions about the school director’s qualifications. Emmanuel Lacoste, hired two years ago, is not a Moroccan national, which parents claim violates Moroccan law requiring directors of certain educational institutions to hold Moroccan citizenship.
Parents also expressed concerns about Lacoste’s management style, which they described as authoritarian, allegedly attributing this to his past service in the US Marine Corps. They claimed he frequently discusses his military experiences with students and is often absent due to simultaneously managing another school in California.
One parent, Imane El Makhloufi, told Moroccan media that the school’s decision was “implemented systematically even though the families paid the increased tuition fees imposed by Director Emmanuel Lacoste under threat and blackmail.”
She described the expulsions as an infringement on children’s right to education and a restriction on the rights of the parents’ association.
Parents have also raised ethical concerns, alleging that some foreign teachers brought in by Lacoste have engaged in inappropriate behavior, including one teacher who was reportedly dismissed after complaints about “sexual” conversations with young students.
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The controversy has drawn the attention of prominent political figures. PJD politician and former Minister of Justice El Mostapha Ramid voiced support for the affected families on social media, declaring: “All solidarity with the parents of the 16 students expelled by the American marine from a school affiliated with Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane.”
Parliamentarian Ahmed Abbadi of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) has also intervened, submitting to the Minister of Education a written question in which he described the expulsions as “arbitrary and authoritarian” and requested clarification on the ministry’s intended response.
Parents have appealed to multiple official bodies, including the Board of Trustees of Al Akhawayn University, various ministries, and local authorities, but claim they have received no responses.
The school maintains that it informed the seven families in March-April that they would need to register their children elsewhere for the upcoming academic year, citing the deterioration of the educational relationship due to continued disagreements.
In its statement, ASI emphasized that its quality is “recognized in Morocco and internationally through accreditations obtained by the school from the College Board (through its Advanced Placement Capstone and Advanced Placement Program).”
As the dispute continues, ASI has reserved the right to take legal action against anyone whose actions “violate the law or harm the image and dignity of the institution, its staff and its students.”
