Why not combine the Ab Initio / B classes and Language A Literature classes ?

Are you surprised by the title of this post ? So am I ... and I was even more surprised when I came across this question in an online forum for DP Coordinators.  Of course we will not identify the source of the post but we will have to have a serious chat about the fact that this question is even asked. 

The following is the question we encountered :

"Hi folks! Can you run an ab initio class combined with a Lang A class? We have a situation where all students have opted for Lang A <language named> except for 2 who want to do <language named> but as an ab initio (they don’t know <language named> at all). The teacher is willing to run the 2 classes at the same time, but from an IB perspective is this allowed ?"

Apparently in some schools
a. there isn't enough money to hire enough teachers to teach the various language courses or
b. there isn't enough understanding of the Group 1 and 2 courses or
c. there is a complete disregard for the study of mother tongue literature and language acquisition or
d. not enough courses are being offered to ensure that every student can study two languages at a proficiency-appropriate level or 
e. there isn't much difference in the proficiency of Language A students and Ab Initio / B students or 
​f. the well-being of the teachers and/or students isn't being taken very seriously ...

​I don't think I need to convince anyone in this forum that every course in the Group 1 and 2 spectrum requires its own schedule, its own physical space, its own qualified teacher and its own budget.  In our opinion teachers must never be put in a situation where they have to teach two different courses in one room at the same time.  Combining HL and SL in one class works, but combining Language A, Language B and/or Language Ab Initio can not work and should never happen.  

​I am keen to find out whether any readers have (had) experience with this kind of situation.  We spend a considerable amount of time in each one of our workshops discussing the target audience of the Ab Initio / Language B course and the arrangements that schools have to make in order to give the students and the teachers a fair deal.  

​We'd love to hear from you - personal experiences (no need to name schools), agreements or disagreement with what is written above, and any advice for teachers and/or administrators who have to deal with this issue.

​Thank you and have a great week ahead !