"I'd rather they get a good 75 than a broken-up 100," he said, comparing virtual learning to in-person learning that is interrupted by closures.
In California, schools are currently slated to reopen virtually.
On July 17, Governor Gavin Newsom set new standards for schools throughout the state to reopen in-person, standards which 33 counties in the state currently do not meet. The Los Angeles archdiocese, which had initially planned to reopen its schools for in-person learning in the fall, had to change course and prep for virtual learning.
In response, the state's Catholic bishops sent a letter to the governor asking for his administration to grant local governments more flexibility to give waivers for Catholic pre-K, elementary and high schools to reopen.
"We understand that the threat of the coronavirus is real and ongoing in our state," the bishops wrote. "At the same time, we are deeply concerned about the broader health and development issues for our children if the state presumes to rely only on distance learning until a vaccine is developed."
"In-person learning, especially at the lower grades, provides emotional and social skills and supports that are crucial to early childhood development and the overall wellbeing of children which simply cannot be replaced," the bishops said.
In the Diocese of Orange, diocesan superintendent Dr. Erin C.O. Barisano oversees 41 Catholic schools. She told CNA that they still hope to be allowed by the state to reopen in-person by September.
"Each school has prepared an extensive reopening plan that adheres to local health and safety guidelines and each school is prepared to pivot from distance learning to in-person instruction at any given time," said Barisano.
Virtual learning brings with it its own set of unique challenges, namely, the ability of each student to have the technology to access the remote classroom. Most schools in the diocese, Barisano said, are issuing devices to students, while "a few" other schools have had a requirement in place for more than five years that families provide the devices themselves for learning.
In addition, the diocese is offering a professional development program for teachers to work with parents on ensuring remote learning access for the students, and is also utilizing the program Basecamp to that end.
"We believe that parents are the primary educators of their children and distance learning has given us a greater opportunity to partner with them," Barisano said.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
The diocese also released reopening standards for its schools based on federal and state guidelines. Each school tailors its own reopening plan based on the diocesan standards.
One high school is using an outdoor parking space for choir classes, and some elementary schools are using the parish halls or outdoor lunch tables as classrooms.
The onset of the coronavirus pandemic caused the mass closure of businesses and fueled an unemployment rate that currently hovers above 11%. Many charities have already faced a sharp drop in donations, and tuition-dependent Catholic schools are faced with a similar problem. The Boston archdiocese, for example, announced in June that 10% of its schools would close.
"For Catholic schools, declining enrollment and financial challenges directly impact the level of service we are able to offer," Barisano said.
Matt Hadro was the political editor at Catholic News Agency through October 2021. He previously worked as CNA senior D.C. correspondent and as a press secretary for U.S. Congressman Chris Smith.