Catholic schools, families challenge state’s closure of high schools

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    Lansing, MI (WNEM) — Catholic families and schools in the Diocese of Lansing filed a lawsuit in federal court of Dec. 7 challenging the order by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to keep high schools closed for another 12 days.

The lawsuit claims the order is constitutionally, scientifically, and educationally unjustified.

“Today’s order confirms our fear that MDHHS will continue to make decisions about closing schools, and in our specific case Catholic schools, without regard to the obvious and proven efficacy of our local COVID-19 school safety plans nor the uniqueness of our mission-based schools which are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Therefore, we support our families and schools in challenging this decision in court,” said Tom Maloney, superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Lansing. “The fact is, our high schools COVID-19 safety plans, with their robust health and safety protocols, are working well at protecting both our school communities and the community at large, while also ensuring that our young people can receive the in-person education and formation that is so irreplaceable to their spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and social development.”

Two Catholic high schools within the Diocese of Lansing have now joined the Michigan Association of Nonpublic Schools in this lawsuit. The schools are filing suit in federal court in the Western District of Michigan against Robert Gordon, the MDHHS director.

The two schools are Lansing Catholic High School and Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor. The lawsuit seeks protection for all MANS-member schools to reopen legally.

“All the evidence shows that during the three months we had in-person education at Lansing Catholic there were no COVID-19 outbreaks; no spread of COVID-19; and no hospitalizations of students or staff, thus adding no burden to our healthcare system,” said Dominic Iocco, president of the Lansing Catholic High School.

During three months of in-person learning this fall, there were 15 positive COVID-19 cases at Lansing Catholic, according to the data cited in the MANS legal suit. All the positives were believed to have been contracted off-campus and the school is unaware of any spread of these cases within the school.

“The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other national experts have indicated over and over that schools are safe places largely because they are closely regulated and supervised environments,” said John DeJak, president of Father Gabriel Richard High School.

Father Gabriel Richard High School has incurred more than $59,000 in expenses to implement COVID-19 safety precautions, according to the MANS legal papers. Lansing Catholic has incurred $102,000.

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