NEW ORLEANS — Parents with students at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School have been informed that the school will not reopen next year.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is one of a handful of African American Catholic schools left in the parish. Friday, the school announced it would be closing at the end of this school year, leaving parents scrambling to find a new school for their children next year.
Misty Frye is one of those parents. She told Eyewitness News, “My children found a home, was just getting comfortable, was welcome, and here we go again.”
She said she’s unfortunately too familiar with it, “This is not the first time this has happened to us. My kids attended St. Rita last year, and the school announced it was closing in January, and once again, here we are.”
Last January, the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced St. Mary Magdalen in Metairie, St. Rita in New Orleans, and St. Rosalie in Harvey would close their doors due to decreased enrollment.
Just over a year later, Misty is back to square one.
In a statement, the St Joan of Arc Catholic Parish said, “The downward enrollment trends seem irreversible based on the demographics of the area, and the financial burden the school would create to the parish would have an adverse impact on our community as a whole.”
We reached out to the parish and school, but they weren’t available for comment.
As for Misty’s family and all the other families at Joan of Arc Catholic school, this year will officially be goodbye.
The mother is now asking, “What is going to happen with my children again.”
Parents say they want a seat at the table to talk to the school and the parish about how they can save Joan of Arc Catholic School because all they want is for their kids to enjoy their school and finish here.
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