This happened in 1987 when all the boy moms pulled their boys from the 7th grade of one area catholic school and a bunch landed at another nearby catholic school. Only 2 boys were in the 1988 graduating class.

Name that school and you win a gold star!

I am in NoVA, and although the majority of the families that belong to the Parish live in parish boundaries, there is a 25% that come from different areas for multiple different reasons maybe close to work or features of the school that they don’t have in their home parish that they find important. Although the curriculum the same, they do vary regarding culture, types of families relationship between Pastor and school, school traditions, a family should be at a school in the community where they feel comfortable and where they feel like their child will have the best education

Catholic churches have parish boundaries. Another church and its parish school poaching dozens (?) of families who live outside of its boundaries seems like it wouldn't be allowed. It's essentially a hostile act and throws off the balance of the diocese.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spoiling the nest with a manufactured grievance to rationalize leaving for a less diverse, more affluent k-8 school.

Translation = leaving for a better school

Maybe, maybe not, maybe just marginally. What data are they using to make that determination? Skin color of the kids, luxury cars at pickup and houses the families reside in? What triggers them into leaving is too many lower class minority kids showing up at their current school and they don’t want their son or daughter in proximity to them. A single spirited minority kid in their kid’s class becomes a blown out of proportion crisis. Suddenly all the teachers are terrible, the principal won’t expel kids quick enough, and that other, whiter school 20 minutes away is perceived to be higher status and a “superior learning environment.” Loving devout modest Catholics though, right.

A new euphemism for avoiding uncomfortable discussions has just emerged ... "spirited minority" kids lmao. The fatigue is real - everyone is sick of it.

Anonymous wrote:DH and I went through Catholic schools as did almost everyone in our extended families. This is almost never about racial or social demographics. It is generally about ideology- some schools move more conservative and other move more liberal within the Catholic doctrine. Some from the may view an influx of different students as a racial/socioeconomic issue, but I don’t. Youngest DC at a HS that is quite diverse- I see that as positive, but it lacks a lot of the Catholicism (open discussion if fine, but open disdain for traditional values, is not), and common traits of a Catholic school that I expect (respect, discipline, etc).

Agree with this perspective. Any time people were dissatisfied with Catholic schools we were and are connected to, it’s because there was a mismatch in how they practiced Catholicism vs the majority of families of students OR because there was a shift in leadership at the parish level and a priest made the parish more/less of what it was before. Catholics are really attuned to the little signs of how things are done and what those things means about where a parish and school is on a spectrum. Our parish went from a priest who had everyone stand together instead of kneeling (in like with recent changes suggested by that conference 15 years ago or so) but when he retired a new priest came in who went back to kneeling. Just that caused huge discontent and suspicion.

Our parish neighborhood has changed a lot ethnically and socioeconomically and no one cares…as long as you are Team Stand.

That’s probably not why a school would flip but it’s the kind of detail that could snowball into something bigger. And does.

DH and I went through Catholic schools as did almost everyone in our extended families. This is almost never about racial or social demographics. It is generally about ideology- some schools move more conservative and other move more liberal within the Catholic doctrine. Some from the may view an influx of different students as a racial/socioeconomic issue, but I don’t. Youngest DC at a HS that is quite diverse- I see that as positive, but it lacks a lot of the Catholicism (open discussion if fine, but open disdain for traditional values, is not), and common traits of a Catholic school that I expect (respect, discipline, etc).

Anonymous wrote:Everyone’s a progressive colorblind liberal… until their kids are in a dicey classroom.

It's hardly just Catholics. For example, Samantha Bee and her husband Jason Jones protested against the closure and rezoning of their kids' elite bubble public school in UWS Manhattan because they didn't want to send their kids to a "more diverse" school. If anything, Catholics are usually more open-minded about stuff like this. Catholic elementary schools are cheap to stoke racial and class diversity.

Abuse
My sil on Long Island they moved with other families when they found out the church again moved people around

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spoiling the nest with a manufactured grievance to rationalize leaving for a less diverse, more affluent k-8 school.

Translation = leaving for a better school

Catholic schools pride themselves on socioeconomic and racial diversity.

Everyone’s a progressive colorblind liberal… until their kids are in a dicey classroom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spoiling the nest with a manufactured grievance to rationalize leaving for a less diverse, more affluent k-8 school.

Translation = leaving for a better school

Maybe, maybe not, maybe just marginally. What data are they using to make that determination? Skin color of the kids, luxury cars at pickup and houses the families reside in? What triggers them into leaving is too many lower class minority kids showing up at their current school and they don’t want their son or daughter in proximity to them. A single spirited minority kid in their kid’s class becomes a blown out of proportion crisis. Suddenly all the teachers are terrible, the principal won’t expel kids quick enough, and that other, whiter school 20 minutes away is perceived to be higher status and a “superior learning environment.” Loving devout modest Catholics though, right.

Anonymous wrote:Spoiling the nest with a manufactured grievance to rationalize leaving for a less diverse, more affluent k-8 school.

Translation = leaving for a better school

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they heard the parish is consolidating schools and they want to get into the "good" one before everyone knows what's happening. That happened at my old school. People "in the know" only told the people they wanted.

100% this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My SIL says she’s trying to move my nieces to a Catholic primary much further from their home. But they’re not even sure they can get in because dozens of parents are doing the same thing. But what she described as the reason just sounds sort of vague and busy body-ish. Almost like she was echoing what other parents are saying.

Instead of being a few blocks from school they’re going to be 25 minutes door to door.

If that many parents are leaving wouldn’t or shouldn’t that generate an urgent response from leadership before they actually leave?

Which parochial?

+1

Spoiling the nest with a manufactured grievance to rationalize leaving for a less diverse, more affluent k-8 school.