Denver Newsroom, Aug 27, 2020 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- Twice a week for three months, the administration of St. Ambrose Academy in Wisconsin met with Dane County public health officials to ensure that they would be ready to reopen at the start of the school year – which was supposed to happen this week.
They drafted a 35-page plan to mitigate the risks of the coronavirus, including regulations on the flow of students, social distancing, personal protective equipment, and regular cleaning and sanitization. They leased a second building, so that their 115 students could social distance even more. The plan was released to parents, who could choose to send their students to school in person or online.
But on the evening of Aug. 21, days before the school year was set to start for St. Ambrose Academy and other private schools in the county, Public Health Madison-Dane County released Emergency Order #9, mandating that grades 3-12 begin the year online. Only grades kindergarten through second are permitted to meet in person.
“Within hours after the order was announced, I had emails in my inbox from our parents,” Angela Hineline told CNA. Hineline is a long-time St. Ambrose parent, as well as the learning services specialist and enrollment manager for the school.
“We are following all guidelines and had the rug pulled out from underneath us after hours, great expense, even renting another site,” she said. “We are a shoestring budget school; we have a very, very tight budget, and 55% of our students are on assistance.”
St. Ambrose Academy announced Aug. 26 that they had filed a demand letter on behalf of their school and multiple other Catholic schools, seeking the immediate revocation of the emergency order “by no later than Friday, August 28, 2020, at 12:00 p.m, ‘Given the unconstitutionality and unlawfulness of the School Closure Order,’ citing harm to ‘parents, children, and schools across the County.’”
Hineline said the demand letter cites the “freedom of conscience” clauses in the Wisconsin Constitution as the basis for the school’s argument, as well as other clauses that provide for school choice and religious freedom.
“The Wisconsin Constitution freedom of conscience clauses provide that the right of every person to worship almighty God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed nor shall any control of or interference with the rights of conscience be permitted,” Hineline said, quoting the letter of demand.
There are also clauses in the state’s constitution that “subject any law burdening religious exercise to strict scrutiny, prohibiting the government from enforcing the law unless it demonstrates that such enforcement furthers a compelling government interest in a narrowly tailored way. Further, all parents have a fundamental liberty interest in the care and upbringing of their children, which includes the rights to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control,” Hineline said.
The letter also cites the sacraments, which must take place in person, as crucial to the religious education of children.
“All of my client-parents are devout, practicing Catholics, whose faith compels them to seek religious education for their children,” the letter states. “Only in-person education satisfies that solemn obligation, as only in person may these students receive Holy Communion at Mass, confess their sins to a priest through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or pray together in the community of fellow students and teachers.”
Hineline said that St. Ambrose Academy is preparing to fight the order in the state’s Supreme Court, should it not be rescinded by noon on Aug. 28. The school has already raised nearly $100,000 to cover legal fees, she said.
Dane County is one of the 11 counties that comprise the Diocese of Madison. It is the second-largest county in Wisconsin.
Bishop Donald Hying of Madison tweeted his frustration with the emergency order Aug. 22. In a subsequent letter to families affected by the order, Hying said he was “extraordinarily disappointed at this order and its timing,” and that he was permitting schools in Dane County to delay their first day of school until after Labor Day if they wish to do so.
“We’re asking for relief quickly…so that we can open on September 8th,” Hineline said.
Among the parents most concerned about the ban on in-person learning are “single parents that have to work and then would have no one to supervise their children,” Hineline noted, as well as “parents with children with special needs that know that the only way for their child’s learning needs to be met (is) in person due to their child’s unique challenges.”
Hineline said one parent who reached out in concern about the order is a single, low-income mother who did not finish high school because of dyslexia. Now one of her children, a student at St. Ambrose, also has dyslexia, and she is worried that he will not get the help he needs if he is not allowed to attend school in person while she works.
“Her greatest fear is that her own son…could end up being somebody who doesn’t graduate,” Hineline said. “The worry is real. This is not a parent who has access to resources without us.” Hineline said she wrote down the mother’s testimony, because the mother did not want to write it down herself, due to her dyslexia.
“She’s never even voted because…she’s afraid she won’t be able to understand the ballot system. This is just one mother’s way to have her voice, to say, ‘The best thing I can do, the most safe, mature, stable way for me to raise my child and to take care of my child’s needs is for my child to be in his Catholic school with in person education,’” she said.
When asked about the government’s interest in stopping the spread of the coronavirus, Hineline said that the school’s in-person plans had met stringent county requirements, and that other businesses and even childcare facilities were being allowed to open following those same requirements.
“The order continues to allow childcare and youth settings to open,” Hineline said. “Remarkably, the order even allows…we could use our same building as childcare and youth setting, just not as school. That’s an interesting aspect to the order; children can be in school for childcare with teachers, but they can’t be in school for education with teachers.”
The emergency order itself states that school children have low rates of infection with the coronavirus.
“While research on school-aged children continues to emerge and evolve, a number of systematic reviews have found that school-aged children contract COVID at lower rates than older populations,” the order states. “Locally, as of August 20, 2020, nine percent of all COVID cases were among children aged 0-17 in Dane County. This population comprises 22% of the county population overall.”
Hineline said St. Ambrose Academy had always planned to have a virtual learning option for parents if they so choose, but that they believe it is important to provide in-person learning to the students and families who need it most.
“This isn’t one size fits all,” she said. “We do believe that we are essential. We are essential virtually, for those families that need us virtually for their family’s safety, security, stability. We are essential for our families that need us in person. We are essential in the development of a child.”
“As Catholic parents, we believe faith and academics are inseparable. We believe that parents should be able to choose how to best nurture their child’s spiritual life in the Church and in the classroom,” Hineline said, quoting a statement from the school’s parents responding to the demand letter. “Online instruction can deliver content, but not the depth of Catholic faith and values. Fundamental religious liberty has been protected by courts throughout American history. We shouldn’t have to spend the money defending this basic right, but we will see it through. We are talking about the health, the safety, and the security of children.”
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I was shocked and angry with Sister Dede Byrne’s speech in supporting the most despicable monster we have ever had in the Oval Office. She forgot to mention his ordering the separation of parents from their children. Children put in concentration camps in cages with no health care, poor quality of food and no one accountable. She forgot to mention the republican platform of taking away all the financial safety nets for these poor girls who get pregnant. The republican pro lifers care only about the fetus and once that baby takes a breath they walk away. Trump has been accused of sexually molesting at least 25 young women. He has been accused of raping a 14 tear old. He cheated on all three wives, paid off a porn star. He is a disgrace to the USA, As a Catholic I was appalled with cardinal Dolan’s support of this non christian who makes horrible comments about women. If this is what the Catholic Church is supporting I want no part of it. I will find a more healthy religion that does not exploit the poor, especially young women. I will never set foot in a Catholic Church again. If you don’t print this it will show me again what hypocrites you are.
You’re always welcome back.
See the movie ‘Unplanned’.
Patricia, Where do I even start? So many lies and half truths that you uttered but our faith still clings to the hope that your eyes will see the light. You sound like a teacher that is always listening to NPR, am I close?
No, I am a registered nurse who has seen the dark side of the Church. These are not half truths, these statements are true. Separation of children from their parents, put in cages with no medical care, dispute that. The Republican Party has waged a battle against the poor and Nolan is despicable. I think he likes the good fat life.
I could go on and on about things the church has done hiding pedophile priests and allowed it go on and on. My eyes have seen the light but obviously you have not. If you don’t acknowledge the problem then there will be no solution. The Catholic Church is a giant Boys Club. If it were run by competent women a lot of the problems would have been solved before it became criminal. Like hiding Law in the Vatican so he didn’t have to face criminal charges, no denying that.
Patricia,
I think anyone familiar with border security would dispute your comments. Children are routinely brought across the border by adults not related to them and once apprehended are kept apart from adults for their own safety.
Human traffickers should be the target of our righteous anger, not the decent men and women serving along the border.
This woman only expressed her opinion. She has zero authority to speak on behalf of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. I hope everyone who reads or sees her speech realizes that. She has no more authority than you or I, she’s just offering her opinion while wearing a habit. Personally I find it disgusting to claim you are pro life when what you actually are is pro birth and who cares what happens to them once they are in the world.
Karen,
I hope your comments aren’t directed at Sister Deirdre? From what I’ve read she’s dedicated her entire life to others. That’s a far fetch from disregarding life outside of the womb.
I hope we’re all strongly pro-birth. Nothing beneficial can be enjoyed without first having being born.
🙂
Its now November, and Trump is trying to set up a dictatorship in America. S. Deirdre may have meant well, but she has given support to a ruthless tyrant. Religious should not speak out about politics. I suppose she wants Rome to reclaim the Papal States. Laws won’t stop abortion (an old Priest who I deeply respected told me that). The only way to stop abortion is to change people’s hearts. She supported a egocentric bigot who wouldn’t know religion if it hit him on the head (Remember 2 Corinthians?). I grew up near Dallas Tx in the 1950’s. Abortion was “illegal”, but it was common knowledge that if a woman wanted an abortion, she could check locations and prices to find the underground clinic of her choice. Our Catholic cemetery has two of the casualties of bargain basement abortions from the early 1960’s. Beautiful young girls who needlessly died. Laws don’t change peoples behavior. Think Prohibition. Some of you need to grow up. Instead of supporting crooked politicians, support maternity shelters, etc. I do. Deep down I think many Catholics are rabidly anti-abortion because they like the politics of many Republicans. Scribes and Pharases all.
Oh, flapdoodle. Seriously. A “ruthless tyrant?” What has he done that is so ruthlessly tyrannical? Saved babies? Protected religious freedom?
“Abortion was “illegal”, but it was common knowledge that if a woman wanted an abortion, she could check locations and prices to find the underground clinic of her choice.”
It wasn’t “illegal,” it was illegal. And while possibly people determined to do such an evil thing could find out a way to do it, I am quite certain that it was not as widespread as it is now.
“Our Catholic cemetery has two of the casualties of bargain basement abortions from the early 1960’s.”
Two, huh? Two who broke secular as well as moral law, and died doing it. Does your Catholic cemetary have room for the sixty million babies who have been killed since Roe v. Wade?
As far as the statistics on death because of illegal abortions, in the 1960’s as well as other times: https://www.liveaction.org/news/women-died-illegal-abortion-roe/
“Deep down I think many Catholics are rabidly anti-abortion because they like the politics of many Republicans.”
Deep down I think many pseudo-Catholics are rabidly Democratic because they want abortion to be legal.
“Scribes and Pharases all.”
Should I join in your version of Christian charity and say “Worshipers of Moloch all?”