Midway through the second school year since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, officials in the Catholic Schools Office say they are proud of how the school communities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington have faced the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

“Pastors, principals, faculty, staff and families have provided non-stop leadership and support to make certain our students receive the best Catholic school educational experience, with constant challenges and limitations,” said Kelly Branaman, Secretary for Catholic Schools and Superintendent of Schools for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Since March 2020 – when the pandemic was first declared – Catholic schools implemented safety protocols and teaching strategies to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff. Those protocols included health screenings, following the masking mandates of the varied jurisdictions that comprise the archdiocese, limiting visitors to the schools and adopting different teaching methods such as hybrid and distance learning.

“Our safety mitigation strategies are for the health and safety of everyone. Safety is a priority for our staff and students,” Branaman said.

Branaman added that “over the past two years we have altered our protocols as we’ve learned more about the pandemic.” She said as the Catholic Schools Office receive updated information about the virus, Catholic schools adjust their “safety mitigation strategies” to reflect the latest medical understanding.

“We are adapting with the new information provided to us,” said Anne Dillon, director for special education for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. “We provided very robust guidance from the very beginning. It has changed as the information we got on the disease has changed.”

As an example of that, Dillon noted that physical distancing guidelines have shifted from six feet to three feet. Also, she said that “some schools have allowed guests – third party providers such as speech and language pathologists – in the building with the same safety precautions our students and staff follow.”

“Our operational strategies have changed over time,” Dillon said, “and they are designed to protect our students and to keep them in in-person learning.”

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has more than 25,500 students enrolled in 90 Catholic schools, from preschool through high school located in the District of Columbia and five Maryland counties: Montgomery, Prince George’s, Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s.

“We are all in-person learning,” Branaman said, “except there may be a rare occasion when a class has to be virtual. Teachers are constantly updating their teaching methodology and are prepared at any time to teach from a virtual setting should the circumstances require it.”

On those occasions when a staffer or student has contracted the coronavirus or was exposed to it, Catholic schools have been quick to react. “First off we want to make sure they are okay,” Dillon said. “Then we identify close contacts (of the affected person) and make sure they are protected, which means quarantine.”

Branaman said “it has been remarkable how well our school nurses and principals have been in managing COVID cases in our schools.”

That sentiment was echoed by Christian Buchleitner, the archdiocese’s assistant superintendent for school operations and student services.

“Everyone went into this very fearful with all the brand-new protocols and safety procedures,” he said. “Principals became confident and very well versed in handling those cases. Now, they are not fearful of it. They are very comfortable in the protocols. They know they can run their building successfully and in-person while COVID is active in their community.”

The Catholic Schools officials had high praise for the work being done in archdiocesan Catholic schools.

“Our teachers have delivered outstanding quality instruction throughout the pandemic,” Buchleitner said.

Branaman said nationwide “everyone is talking about learning loss during the pandemic year, but when we looked at our student performance in mathematics and reading, our student performance maintained. Student performance from fall of 2020 to fall of 2021 maintained its excellence.”

“It is clearly evident that the burden of management of COVID has been on the shoulders of our principals and teachers,” Branaman said. “I ask the favor of parents and students to thank our principals and teachers for not only what they do every day, but especially during the past two years.”

Dillon highlighted the hard work and effort that has been invested in order to keep Catholic schools open and safe.

“Our principals and teachers have had so much on them during this pandemic, and they have continued to do the work they know is important – to teach our students in a Christ-filled environment every single day and do it with so much passion, so much care. The level of commitment is amazing,” Dillon said.

Dillon also praised the “amazing nurses who have been ‘all hands-on deck’ in our schools. They are incredible and a great resource to our principals. They understand the disease and help our principals. They are amazing to us.”

In addition to those actively working in the schools, Branaman had praise for those in the Catholic Schools Office who “have worked exceptionally hard to guide our principals and lead them through the decisions that needed to be made. Starting back in March, 2020, our team has been side-by-side with principals.”

She said that school leadership working with principals and school staff have guaranteed that Catholic schools are “sustaining the academic excellence and the faith formation we are known for.”