The sudden closing of Queen of Martyrs School took many Evergreen Park families by surprise, with the institution having been open for more than 70 years.
The Catholic school, which opened in 1953, will be shuttered after this school year, the Archdiocese of Chicago has announced.
The announcement, from the Archdiocese of Chicago, came in the form of a letter from Greg Richmond, the Superintendent of Schools.
“This decision follows a significant decline in projected enrollment, which has left the school without the resources needed to sustain operations in the future,” he said.
Richmond called the decision difficult in the letter.
10-years ago, enrollment at Queen of Martyrs was 325 students, but its projected enrollment for the next school year had dropped to 140.
In particular, the archdiocese said it became clear that a “significant number of students would not be returning for the next school year.”
In January, a substitute teacher was fired after school officials learned he had a long history of child molestation accusations. 43-year-old Brett Smith had been charged with battery for making unwanted physical contact with a child at Queen of Martyrs in January. He was also charged with sexually abusing 9-year-old boy while working as a private tutor in Orland Park.
Queen of Martyrs also found itself embroiled in controversy during the pandemic. It’s then-principal, Jacob “Doc” Mathius, drew fire for making the wearing of masks optional for faculty, staff and students.
Mathius was eventually fired for defying the Archdiocese’s COVID-19 mask mandate.
The closing announcement comes only one month after the school appointed a new interim principal. When contacted by phone, Beth Guerrero declined to discuss anything about the school closing.
Tuesday an electronic sign outside Queen of Martyrs thanked faculty and staff for their years of dedication and service.
Four years ago, as part of a restructuring effort by the diocese, Queen of Martyrs merged with St. Bernadette’s Parish to form St. Gianna Parish.
Now the Archdiocese says it will work with parents considering other Catholic school options for the fall. Many of the schools with available space posted well wishes to the parents of Queen of Martyrs students Tuesday on social media.
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