The Diocese of Scranton implemented strict health and safety protocols for SJNRA in the 2020-2021 school year. Masks for students were required, desks had to be sanitized after each period, and social distancing was enforced. After a recent meeting, some of those strict policies have changed and masks are now optional as the state sees a drop in COVID-19 cases. “Cases are dropping, and at this point, I feel confident with the mandate change,” Charlene Krushinsky, Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools, said in a recent interview. 

Out of the 19 schools that make up the Diocese of Scranton, all of them had the strictest policies put in place at the beginning of the pandemic. “We’ve had our Diocesan policy and that’s been the same for all of our schools,” Krushinsky said. “It has evolved and changed since the pandemic started in 2020, but we now have new guidance.” The mask mandate was first put into place when the schools returned to in-person instruction after having the closure in the spring of 2020, Krushinsky said. “Everyone was socially distanced and the mask mandate was much the same as what public schools were doing.”

Just like any other mandate throughout the pandemic, the mask mandate has gotten plenty of backlash. “We’ve had negative feedback just like many other public school districts and many other public entities who instituted any sort of mandate,” Krushinksy said.

“There are people who don’t enjoy wearing masks. It’s not comfortable wearing a mask all day, but we had to do so for everyone’s safety. The CDC believes it does help stop the spread of coronavirus and many other viruses.”

The Office of Catholic Schools for the Diocese has met often and worked constantly to make sure they are making the best decisions with the pandemic that has changed so quickly. “These decisions have evolved and changed throughout the pandemic and those decisions vary depending on what county and state you live in,” Krushinsky said. “As we know, some states are impacted differently than other states.”

Those frequent meetings include the Superintendent of the Catholic Schools office, the Bishop, the CEO, and a team of medical professionals. “They have multiple meetings to look at the data and the latest research that’s out there. They also look at the health guidelines set by the CDC.” These informed decisions are based on data and numbers. 

The situation has changed quickly and, although the Diocese is happy to be moving forward in a positive direction, the administration and the decision-making team will continue to monitor the situation. “None of us predicted we would be in a pandemic and that it would last 2 years,” Krushinsky said. “It [the mask mandate] could come back and the virus could evolve with a different mutation. We hope that it doesn’t, but we are prepared if something does change.” Being prepared for change and being able to adapt is important to the Diocese. Krushinsky said that, through all the changes, she wants the community to know that they’ve been working for everyone. “It is our intent to keep schools healthy and safe places to learn,” Krushinsky said. “We hope that students feel that we’ve done everything possible to accomplish that during this pandemic.”

The administration sees the lifting of the mask mandate as a step in the right direction. Most people are asking themselves: will life ever completely go back to normal? “It will return to what it was in a lot of ways, and this is a move toward that, but we may need to exercise caution in some areas or simply be aware that it is here,” Krushinsky said. “Normalcy will return eventually and I think we are beginning to see that.” The Office of Catholic Schools is always available for parents, teachers, and members of the community who have questions about school policy. Krushinksy said outreach and interviews about decisions are always available. “We are always open and always working to inform,” Krushinsky said.