The College Fix

The parents of kids attending Philadelphia Catholic schools will have to sign a form “pledging support for the schools’ ‘Catholic identity’ and recognizing that in all questions involving church law, ‘the final determination rests with the archbishop.'”

Though the Archdiocese says it’s totally unrelated, the move follows the controversial firing of lesbian teacher Margie Winters this past June.

Spokesman Ken Gavin says the document “is to simply inform parents that we are Catholic schools, that we will teach the doctrine of the church …”

It also mandates that parents “uphold all principles and policies that govern the Catholic school.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

The document is “not unprecedented” or “groundbreaking,” Gavin said. He added that he did not know if the archdiocese ever had such a requirement before. Many other Catholic dioceses have similar documents, some with almost identical wording.

In addition to its pledge of support, the document notes that Catholic schooling is “a privilege, not a right,” and its primary purpose is to strengthen faith. It said schools exist “to advance the faith mission” of the parish, archdiocese, or Catholic religious community; that their “priority is fidelity to Catholic teaching and identity”; that schools and administrators have a responsibility to ensure that Catholic teaching and “moral integrity permeate every facet of the school’s life and activity”; and that the archbishop determines all matters of teaching, morals, and law.

The article quotes a parent who withdrew her daughter from Waldron Mercy in protest over Winters’ firing, and enrolled her in a different (Catholic) school.

“The anger can’t be selective on what they are going to accept and not accept,” she says, noting that the Church has to enforce all its doctrines, “including those against divorce and contraception.”

Read the full article.

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