Students, parents shocked to learn 12 Catholic schools to shut down by end of year

By JOHN DIAS

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A dozen Catholic schools citywide are still feeling the consequences from the COVID pandemic.

The issues have gotten so severe it’s causing them to shut down by the end of the school year.

Some other schools are only staying open because they’re merging with others.

“I’m sad,” said 5th grader Alexa Garcia.

She’s full of sorrow Thursday. She just found out her Catholic school – Immaculate Conception on East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx – is closing at the end of the year.

While her father is also upset, he’s stressed, too. He has to find new schools for his three kids.

“I am disappointed and now I’ve got to look for a new school,” Kenny Garcia said.

One mother was in shock when CBS2’s John Dias told her the news.

“I don’t know what we are going to do next year. We planned on going here for kindergarten,” she said.

For almost 70 years, the school has been a place for kids to learn. One woman cried when she found out its new fate.

“This has been home to us for the past 20 years,” said mother Velmira Gonzalez. “My nieces, my nephews, my kids graduated from here. One is graduating this year. It’s really sad – one of the best schools in the Bronx.”

According to the Archdiocese of New York’s announcement Thursday, the Bronx is seeing the most closures. Six schools will be shutting their doors. While no Catholic schools will be shutting down in Queens, five will be closing in Manhattan, and one in Staten Island – St. Christopher School.

In the Bronx, four Catholic schools will be merging into two schools.

“This goes against every ounce of energy and hope we’ve got,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan said.

Dolan said on the news outlet “The Good News Room” it must be done, and the reason for the changes is a residual effect of the COVID pandemic. Officials say enrollment was already down in certain Catholic schools, but the pandemic made it even worse.

“[The closures are] only going to strengthen or enhance these magnificent schools that we’ve got,” Dolan said.

Some families Dias spoke with wish the schools gave them a heads up, so maybe they could have prevented this.

“They could have said something. We could have chipped in and helped in some kind of way,” said grandmother Marva Washington.

School leaders say that they will be working closely with every family impacted to ensure their students get into a neighboring Catholic school in the fall season.

In a statement from the Archdiocese of New York, officials said that extensive community research and detailed studies went into that final determination.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.