Queen of Martyrs school in Evergreen Park closing due to declining enrollment

Queen of Martyrs School in south suburban Evergreen Park will not reopen for the upcoming school year, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Monday.

The school’s enrollment has declined considerably, partly due to allegations earlier this year that a former substitute teacher inappropriately touched a second grader, leaving the school unable to operate, superintendent of schools Greg Richmond said in a statement posted on the school’s Facebook page.

“Events earlier this year, including concerns related to a personnel matter, shook the trust of some families and contributed to their decision to leave,” Richmond said. “That reality is painful to acknowledge. At the same time, the school’s challenges did not begin this year and are not the result of a single event.”

The family of a second grade boy sued Brett J. Smith, a substitute teacher who was fired by the archdiocese, in January, alleging he groomed and touched their child inappropriately. The lawsuit also alleged church officials were aware of Smith’s past sexual abuse allegations and failed to disclose them to parents.

Enrollment at the school has been declining over the past decade, falling from 325 students in 2016 to a projected 140 students for next school year.

“The decline in next year’s enrollment would create an under-resourced school, unable to provide the quality education students need and deserve,” Richmond said. “Fewer students means fewer resources to provide the modern, rigorous and holistic education that parents expect from a Catholic school.”

The school would operate at a deficit of more than $400,000 next year, according to projections, Richmond said in the statement.

The archdiocese will help families at the school consider other Catholic school options for the fall.

“Queen of Martyrs has been a place where children have been known, loved, taught and formed in faith,” Richmond said. “That legacy will not be forgotten.”