Amid pandemic, scores of US Catholic schools face closure

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Victoria33

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I’m sure this has already been covered but maybe not in the past few weeks.

www.timesleader.com

Amid pandemic, scores of US Catholic schools face closure

<p>Catholic schools have faced tough times for years, but the pace of closures is accelerating dramatically amid economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, sparking heartbreak and anger in scores of affected communities.</p>
www.timesleader.com www.timesleader.com
Catholic schools have faced tough times for years, but the pace of closures is accelerating dramatically amid economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, sparking heartbreak and anger in scores of affected communities.

“It’s not a pretty picture right now,” said Sister Dale McDonald, public policy director of the National Catholic Educational Association, which says about 100 schools have announced in recent weeks that they won’t reopen this fall. McDonald fears that number could more than double in the coming months.

Most of the closures are occurring at the elementary level, but also on the list are a number of venerable and beloved high schools including some that produced some famous alumni.
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Here is an editorial on the issue from Real Clear Politics:

 
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For health concerns, if medical and science professionals see it as a public safety issue, then so be it.
 
I don’t believe any private school has to stay closed. It would be unconstitutional to mandate their closing until they cannot afford to reopen. If that has happened already then perhaps they can get some of their funds back through litigation to help them reopen.
 
I share your concern here, @Victoria33. I have heard from other Catholic moms that their children’s schools have had to close. And here in my community, the only Catholic stand-alone middle school has had to do the same. I live in NY, take the precautions seriously, and worry about reopening. But the consequences in both directions are awful.

Honestly I’m worried that many schools and parishes will wind up having to close. And I don’t know what American Catholicism will look like after that happens.
 
Where I live, the only Catholic school in the areawas able to get their online program up and running weeks before public school did. I don’t think it has affected them at all. 🙂
 
Considering how few Catholic schools are truly Catholic anymore, perhaps this is for the best. I’ve felt for a while now that homeschooling will be the future of Catholic education as a lot of Catholic schools do more harm than good when it comes to religious formation.

Personally, if my old Catholic high school permanently closed, I’d pop open a champagne.
 
Our local Catholic elementary school does okay, maybe a more progressive outlook happens in High School.

For what it’s worth, I think the local elementary public school truly loves the kids as well, even another one in the area I know of that is not necessarily in the best neighborhood but I think the teachers honestly love the kids.
 
My wife teaches at a Catholic High School and let me tell you alot of the parents aren’t going to pay $10,000 or more per year for online teaching when they can have it for free through the public schools. I wish that wasn’t the case but it is here in Florida. We are hoping all will go well beginning of the new school year (less than a month away).
 
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Yes, I agree with you there. I don’t know that I would want to pay that either. In the case I mentioned, it was just finishing up the school year. I wonder how it will go this fall.
 
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