May 13, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I have received multiple inquiries from parents regarding the reopening of Catholic schools in the fall. As information is given to my office from the Bishop, the CDC and the state, I will continue to guide all our schools to meet the overarching goal of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fresno. Our goal is to provide an excellent Catholic education to all students whose families wish them to attend. Even though it would be premature at this time to give any definite answers to your many questions about the fall, I want to share what our planning process is because I realize that families need to start to plan.
Although the state
may
start instructing students in some form in July, the Catholic schools will hold to their school calendars with start dates in August. Our schools are currently devising plans for several models of instruction beginning in the fall of 2020. Of course, our first choice would be to safely have the students back on campus full time. However, that option may not be available to schools by August. Under consideration are other ways of delivering quality instruction either through a varied schedule providing a combination of on campus and online instruction or by the full distant learning method we used this spring. The survey results that many of you filled out and the useful comments you shared are helping to guide our planning.
Principals will be meeting with the Office of Catholic Education through June in order to lay out various scenarios for the start of the new school year so that whatever the CDC and state directives tell us, we are all ready to serve your students for another year. I will write again when I have any new and definite information on how best to keep our students and employees safe during the pandemic.
The uncertainty of what this virus can and will do is stressful but we, as followers of Jesus, walk by faith and not by sight. God is leading us; we must continue to do His will to the best of our ability.
Wishing your family good health and God’s blessing,
Mona E. Faulkner
Superintendent of Catholic Schools
Diocese of Fresno
