Alexander Thompson

Alexander Thompson is a freelance writer covering K-12 Catholic education from Boston. Previously, he worked for newspapers in Ohio before coming to Massachusetts where he covers local news for suburban weeklies. A fluent French speaker, he spent a brief stint reporting for Senegal's largest private daily newspaper.

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Catholic colleges, universities debate COVID-19 vaccine requirements

Some two dozen Catholic colleges and universities have joined the growing list of institutions requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students returning to campus this fall, decisions that are not without controversy.

Closures of Catholic schools in Black neighborhoods provoke sense of abandonment

Trinity Catholic High School in the St. Louis Archdiocese and Christ Our Savior Catholic School in the Chicago Archdiocese are part of a trend: Catholic schools serving Black students are more likely to close.

Distanced and masked students pray at St. Francis de Sales School in Las Vegas. (Courtesy of the Las Vegas Diocese)

A deeper look at Catholic schools' pandemic enrollment plunge

In an unprecedented drop, U.S. Catholic school enrollment decreased by 6.4%, or more than 111,000 students, between fall of 2019 and the beginning of this school year.

A 2017 aerial view of the main campus of St. Leo University in St. Leo, Florida (Wikimedia Commons/Odiedude)

St. Leo is latest Catholic university to nix faculty labor union

In a move professors said took them by surprise, St. Leo University in Florida voted to derecognize its 44-year-old faculty union, after courts rolled back labor protections on Catholic campuses last year.

Signs adorn a car in an Oct. 18 alumni caravan protest against changes to the faculty handbook at John Carroll University in the Cleveland suburbs. (Courtesy of Kevin Henderson)

Deep cuts at Catholic colleges draw backlash

Layoffs and budget cuts are coming to Catholic campuses around the country as the financial impact of the pandemic begins to hit. Critics say such actions jeopardize the universities' Catholic values.

James Cahill, 32, a middle school social studies teacher at St. Francis Xavier School in Wilmette, Illinois, speaks out against the Chicago Archdiocese's reopening plan at a rally in front of schools' headquarters in downtown Chicago on Aug. 20. (Courtesy

As Catholic school teachers head back to the classroom, discontent simmers

Some Catholic school teachers are finding it difficult to be honest about their fears for in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

A disposable face mask is seen in a backpack hanging on a school desk holding a bottle of hand sanitizer. (Dreamstime/Phuttharak Chindarot)

Back to school with books, masks and liability waivers

The various coronavirus liability waivers that are being sent to parents highlight the precarious balance Catholic schools are striking between returning to the classroom in-person and the ethical and legal consequences of doing so.

Principal Robert Chevrier shows off a socially distanced sixth-grade classroom at St. Joseph School in Medford, Massachusetts, July 28. Soon the desks will all have plastic dividers as well. (Alexander Thompson)

Catholic schools plan in-person classes, in contrast to public schools

While state orders have forced some Catholic dioceses to abandon their more assertive approach to reopening schools, other dioceses are using the divergence from online public schools as a marketing point.

Catholic schools face questions over connections to Columbus, Serra

Three alumnae of Columbus Catholic High School drafted a petition demanding that the school change its name and remove a Columbus statue from the grounds. The effort represents the spread of a nationwide reckoning.

Pandemic expected to cause drop in Catholic schools' international students

The coronavirus threatens to put a dent in international enrollment, causing problems for schools' increasingly important diversity goals and increasingly stressed balance sheets.

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