At Catholic schools, it’ll be in-person

Most Catholic schools in the Brooklyn Diocese are set for full-time, in-person learning next month, officials said Tuesday.

“We are prepared and excited for a full reopening in September,” said Thomas Chadzutko, superintendent of the Brooklyn Diocese, which includes schools in Brooklyn and Queens.

Most of the 66 schools will be able to accommodate all their students at once while maintaining social distancing in classrooms, but more crowded schools are planning to offer either a hybrid or fully remote model, officials said.

The specific plans “may be slightly different school by school given the building footprint and student population,” Chadzutko said.

Catholic school enrollment in the city, slipping even before the coronavirus pandemic, continued to drop during the crisis, with six schools in the Brooklyn Diocese and 20 in the New York Archdiocese — which spans Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island — closing their doors for good.

Catholic schools have taken an especially hard hit during the pandemic — with some families struggling to pay tuition because of lost work, and Mass services that generate additional revenue canceled, according to officials. Masses in the Brooklyn Diocese resumed June 29.

“I have been a Catholic school educator for more than 40 years, and could never have imagined the grave impact this pandemic has had on our schools,” New York Archdiocese Superintendent Michael Deegan said in July.

The Brooklyn Diocese’s plan diverges from city public schools, which are offering a maximum of two to three days a week of in-person instruction for most kids.

The New York Archdiocese is also encouraging a full opening for any school able to accommodate in-person instruction while maintaining social distancing.

Brooklyn Diocese officials say all of their schools have now submitted reopening plans to the state Education Department, which gives approval for school launch plans.