in january, 2009, describing the academy as "in essence, a private religious school", charles samuelson, executive director of the minnesota aclu, announced that the aclu would file a lawsuit alleging that the academy promotes the muslim religion and that its directors illegally use a holding company to channel taxpayer dollars to a religious organization. the suit accuses the school of holding group prayers during school hours, including a 30-minute prayer session on fridays, allowing teachers to post religious material on classroom bulletin boards, and enforcing islamic rules on modesty of dress – including sleeves and skirts or trousers of a certain length, on female but not male students and teachers.