Philadelphia Catholic schools review safety protocols after Minneapolis shooting

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This week’s Minneapolis shooting targeting a Catholic school Mass that killed two children and injured 17 has raised safety concerns for Philadelphia’s Catholic school community. In Philadelphia, where the Archdiocese oversees one of the largest Catholic school systems in the country, students, parents, and administrators are confronting renewed safety concerns in their churches and classrooms. 

“It was just so tragic that while they were trying to enhance their faith that it happened,” said Lauren Savko, a student at Sacred Heart Academy, an independent Catholic school in Bryn Mawr. “It makes me think like, when I’m in church, could that happen to me?”

Philadelphia is home to roughly 60 Catholic schools, most of which are K-8 schools. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia runs the majority of these schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.

“Each school in the Archdiocese works diligently at all times to preserve safe environments,” said Ken Gavin, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s chief communications officer. “Understandably, there is heightened anxiety regarding school safety on the national level at this time.”

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, there have been at least 390 attacks on Catholic sites, including “vandalism, arson, or other destruction.” Five of the attacks occurred in Philadelphia.

“While we would not disclose the specifics of any safety and security plans, I can confirm that regular reviews of emergency protocols take place,” Gavin said. “Those reviews are part of ongoing plans related to school safety and are typically shared with local first responders.”

At Sacred Heart, protocols include lockdown drills and doors that require key access to enter, Savko said.

“Providing safe environments for everyone in our parishes, schools, and charitable ministries is always a top priority,” Gavin said. “We will continue to monitor and review our protocols so that our schools operate as safe and healthy environments where our young people can learn, grow, and fulfill their potential.”

Savko said the current procedures are “solid”, making students feel safer overall, but “there could always be the fear that they might not work and that something could happen.”

Classes at Sacred Heart Academy start next week. Savko said she expects the school to discuss the recent tragedy.

“I think about this event with two kids dying, I think that’s a lot,” Savko said. “And I think that it should be talked about.”

In a statement released after the shooting, the Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez called for vigilance and compassion in the community.

“Let us work together through acts of kindness and charity to build a peaceful nation where all people, especially all children, can live and grow free from fear,” he said.

Editor’s Note: Nate Harrington’s WHYY News internship has been made possible thanks to the generous support from the Dow Jones News Fund O’Toole Family Foundation Internship.