MANCHESTER – David A. Thibault, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Manchester, announced today that all Catholic schools in the state will reopen this fall with fully classroom-based instruction.

“Since March, many parents have struggled to balance their own telecommuting with assisting in the education of their children at home,” said Thibault. “Teachers have missed the one-on-one interaction with their students, and students have missed their teachers and friends. Everyone involved rose to the challenge but we recognize that remote learning is not ideal.

“That is why we made the determination to return to classroom instruction just as soon as possible,” said Thibault. “Over the last several weeks, we have worked with each school in the diocese to formulate a plan to reopen carefully and with appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the health of our faculty and staff, students, their families and the community at large.

“While we continue to work with the experts at the New Hampshire Department of Education and are prepared to adjust our plans should a public health emergency arise again,” said Thibault, “we look forward to welcoming our students back, in person, this fall.”

The Catholic Schools Office also announced the creation of a new Transfer Incentive Program, or TIP, for newly-enrolled students. Any student grades 1-8 transferring from a non-Catholic school will receive a $1,000 grant off tuition the first year, and $500 off the second year. Any student grades 9-12 transferring from a non-Catholic school will receive a $2,000 grant off tuition the first year, and $1,000 off the second year.

“We’re calling this the ‘See You in Class!’ campaign,” said Alison Mueller, Director of Marketing, Enrollment, and Development for Catholic schools. “In our recent informal survey, 8 out of 10 parents reported that their child missed the interactions with classmates and teachers. We want as many young people as possible to join our wonderful communities. We’ll see them in class, in person, this fall!”

All schools in the Diocese of Manchester are participating in the TIP program, and TIP funding is not need-based. Parents who are interested in learning more should contact the school directly for details. A list of Catholic schools throughout the state is available at www.catholicschoolsnh.org.

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