"We've been told that we have to use the school that the Archdiocese has assigned to us," says Megan Thomson, whose daughter attends St. Laurentius in Fishtown, which is to merge with nearby St. Peter's.
Thomson, a former Catholic-school teacher, has no issue with St. Peter's. But, she says, "I thought the Archdiocese was an advocate for parental choice."
Obviously, Catholic-school parents are still reeling from the Archdiocese's decision to close or merge 49 schools in June. Denying them options in dealing with the closures is not just insensitive, it's hypocritical.
Shortsighted, too. But let's take this step-by-step.
Some background: Archdiocesan high schools have open-enrollment, so parents can select the one they believe best fits the needs of their family. More than curriculum comes into play - proximity to home or a parent's workplace, for instance.
The Archdiocese's elementary schools, though, have traditionally been closed to families who are members of other Catholic parishes (yet they are open to non-Catholics, which I'll get to in a bit).
A child may attend a competing parish school only if the pastors of both schools deem the reasons for the transfer "meritorious."
Oh, that word! Who's to judge the "merit" of a family's decision? Still, on the face of it, one reason for the prohibition is halfway understandable.
"The central purpose of the parish elementary schools is to form and educate the parish children in their faith," reads a new archdiocesan letter to pastors that clarifies admission policies for parish and new regional elementary schools (which will educate kids from several parishes).
"This involves helping children make the connection between their school community and their parish community."
So, when a regional school is formed, keeping together children from the same parish builds on a pre-existing sense of unity.
