Queen of Martyrs Elementary School in Evergreen Park, Illinois, will not reopen next school year, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced.
Block Club Chicago reports that the decision to shutter the school, which opened in 1953, came down to declining enrollment.
Queen of Martyrs’ enrollment has fallen from 325 students in 2016 to 178 students this past school year. Greg Richmond, Archdiocesan superintendent of schools, said projected enrollment for the coming year was about 140 students.
The decision to close also comes after a scandal at the school involving a substitute teacher with an extensive history of child molestation charges and allegations.
Brett Smith was fired by the Archdiocese last school year after 16 months working at local Catholic schools. He was working as a substitute teacher at Queen of Martyrs when parents there learned of his background and alerted authorities.
A lawsuit filed on Jan. 28 alleges Smith groomed and inappropriately touched a Queen of Martyrs student. It also contends that archdiocese officials were aware of Smith’s sexual abuse allegations and failed to alert parents. The archdiocese said Smith passed a background check.
The events earlier this year “shook the trust of some families and contributed to their decision to leave,” Richmond said.
