Queens Catholic Schools Plan Full Return To The Classroom

QUEENS, NY — Most Catholic schools in Queens are planning to return to full-time, in-person classes when the new school year starts in September — even as some educators and city officials warn against it.

As of Wednesday, 29 Catholic academies and parish schools in Queens had submitted reopening plans to the New York State Department of Education that outline in-person schooling five days a week, according to a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which also oversees Queens.

They include Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy in Corona, which is among the neighborhoods that have been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and was once considered the pandemic's New York City epicenter.

Other schools planning to send students back into the classroom include Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School and St. Joan of Arc in nearby Jackson Heights.

There are 44 Catholic schools and academies across Queens.

The reopening plans call for social distancing in classrooms and throughout school buildings, daily health screenings that include temperature checks and mandatory face coverings, though "mask breaks" will be allowed.

Families can also opt out of the in-person learning plan and instead sign their children up for remote learning through the diocese's new Saint Thomas Aquinas Distance Learning Catholic Program.

"This is a great first step in the right direction to helping our children safely return to the classroom,” Thomas Chadzutko, the diocese's superintendent of schools, said in a statement.

Here is the full list of Catholic schools in Queens that plan to return to full-time, in-person schooling, as released by the Diocese of Brooklyn on Wednesday. More schools may be added to the list as officials review their plans.

• Holy Child Catholic Academy Richmond Hill
• Holy Family Catholic Academy Fresh Meadows
• Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Astoria
• Incarnation Catholic Academy in Queens Village
• Notre Dame Catholic Academy in Ridgewood
• Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Jackson Heights
• Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy in Middle Village
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in South Ozone Park
• Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy in Corona
• Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Bayside
• Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Academy in Forest Hills
• Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Bayside
• Sts. Joachim and Anne Catholic School in Queens Village
• St. Adalbert Catholic Academy in Elmhurst
• St. Andrew Avellino Catholic School in Flushing
• St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy in Bellerose
• St. Helen Catholic Academy in Howard Beach
• St. Luke Catholic School in Whitestone
• St. Mark Catholic Academy in Ridgewood
• St. Margaret Catholic Academy in Middle Village
• St. Michael's Catholic Academy in Flushing
• St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy in Maspeth
• St. Francis Assisi Catholic Academy in Astoria
• Divine Mercy Catholic Academy in Ozone Park
• Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy Catholic Academy in Douglaston
• Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Jamaica
• St. Joan of Arc in Jackson Heights
• Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy in Forest Hills

While many New York City Catholic schools plan to return to full-time, in-person learning, some principals, teachers and parents are pressuring the city to keep schools closed due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

We must delay in-person schooling until appropriate safety measures are not just talked about, but actually implemented. We all need to work together to keep teachers, students, and families safe this school year. Proud to join @UFT in calling for real school safety today. https://t.co/6CAcVJrXrU
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) August 19, 2020

Diocese of Brooklyn spokesperson John Quaglione said the schools they oversee are large enough to open safely but that parents have the option to keep their kids home if they prefer.

"Because of the size of our schools, we are able to achieve the 36 per square feet per student and can reopen on Sept. 9th," Quaglione wrote in an email to Patch. "Despite that, for parents who are not comfortable with sending their children to school, they are offered 100% remote learning if that is what they choose."