Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the new school year:
For the most part, Catholic schools across the nation have opened normally. For the most part, public schools across the nation have opened abnormally (if at all). The contrast in administrative competence could not be more stark. Here is a representative sample.
Atlanta
- Schools in the Archdiocese of Atlanta returned to in-person instruction August 12. The public schools opened August 24 with virtual learning.
Boston
- All schools in the Archdiocese of Boston opened in September to in-person instruction. All public schools opened remotely.
Chicago
- All schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago opened to in-person learning August 17. The public schools opened remotely September 8.
Cincinnati
- All schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are open to in-person instruction. The public schools resorted to distance learning for the first five weeks of the school year.
Dallas
- The Diocese of Dallas opened to in-person learning September 2, six days before a start date ordered by Dallas County health officials. The public schools did not open to in-person learning until September 8.
Denver
- The Archdiocese of Denver started August 24 with in-person learning. The public schools started the same day, but with remote learning; it continues until October 16.
District of Columbia
- The Archdiocese of Washington schools opened as early as August 25, roughly half in-person. The public schools opened to distance learning August 31, and will continue that way until November 6.
Houston
- Many schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston opened August 13 to in-person learning; some elected to open remotely. Public schools opened September 8, all with remote learning. None will open in-person before October 16.
Milwaukee
- The schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee opened in-person. The public schools opened remotely.
New York City
- The Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn opened to in-person learning five days a week on September 9. New York City public schools will not open until September 21, starting with three days a week. The teachers threatened to strike, which is illegal in New York.
Philadelphia
- Schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia opened partly in-person and partly virtually. The public schools opened only to remote learning.
Pittsburgh
- The Diocese of Pittsburgh opened to in-person instruction September 8. The public schools opened to distance learning the same day.
San Diego
- All 39 schools in the Diocese of San Diego will have in-person learning by the end of September. Public school officials cannot agree when to reopen the schools (including distance learning).
The teachers’ unions are responsible for the stalling tactics, citing unfounded horror stories about Covid’s effects on kids. Elementary and secondary schools have been opened in Europe for weeks, if not months, without the kinds of calamities that American educrats have been predicting.
Politics is also playing a role. The Los Angeles County Public Health Director reportedly told school officials and medical staff that the public schools will not open “until after the election, in early November.” This is obviously being done to hurt President Trump at the polls.
Meanwhile, Catholic schools have returned to normal in this country. One more reason why school choice makes eminently good sense. As usual, the biggest victims—minority students from low-income families—are the ones being punished. Perversely, those who rhetorically champion their cause are responsible.
