DIOCESE—On April 17, during his daily news briefings on the coronavirus, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that all schools in Illinois would remain closed for the duration of the 2019-2020 school year.

 

Immediately following the governor’s announcement, the Office of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Rockford sent a notice to all Catholic Schools informing them that the Catholic schools would observe this order and that distance learning, including school packets and e-learning, will continue until school ends in late May.

 

A letter announcing this was sent to all Catholic school families on April 20.

 

According to Vito DeFrisco, assistant superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools, an online meeting with principals and school superintendents was being scheduled along with meetings, by deanery, with the elementary school principals after the governor issued his order.

 

“Our goal for the high school principals is to discuss the possibilities of graduation and how that might be conducted,” DeFrisco wrote in his e-mail to adminstrators.

 

“At this point we still do not have updated guidelines relative to social distancing so it will be necessary to keep that in mind as we begin to think about other graduation, awards ceremonies, etc.,” DeFrisco added.

 

Meetings with the elementary school principals will be held to address any questions they have about completing the school year. 

 

Most Catholic schools wrap up their school year by June 1.

 

More information regarding graduation plans will be published as it becomes available along with notices being sent directly to school families and announced on school social media sites.