CINCINNATI — There are conflicting reports about why St. Joseph Catholic School in the West End had to close right before the school year was about to begin.
Weeks ago, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati said it was closing because of what it calls "safety concerns." However, a new report from the City of Cincinnati tells a different story.
"We can do a price comparison and not just take this at face value and not just allow this to be pushed down our throats," said Rob Harris, a St. Joseph parishioner. "It's just a lot of things that seem a little bit shaky, fishy, whatever the terminology you want to do — suspect."
Eleven days ago, parishioners and alumni of St. Joseph protested outside the school and questioned why the Archdiocese decided to close the school. In a letter to the church community dated June 27, officials cited "a serious safety concern," calling most of the school building's mechanical systems "at the end of their functional life," and that most of them need to be repaired, upgraded or replaced. It also said it needed to replace the entire roof, with the total cost of everything estimated at more than $2.5 million.
However, WCPO obtained a letter from the City of Cincinnati inspectors from July 11 saying "there is no life safety or fire hazard concerns," calling the building structure "sound," the building's boiler "operable" with no defects in the electrical system. It did note a "small roof leak," but said it did "not cause any structural damage," and there are "no visible defects evident within the building."
"I was going to read it at mass, both masses, yesterday and I wasn't allowed to," said Lee Wilson, president of the St. Joseph Parish Council.
Lee said the pastor of St. Joseph told her she wasn't allowed to address the parish about the city's inspection.
Wilson said he feels the Archdiocese is not telling the whole story about why it decided to close the school.
"This is happening all over the country closing churches and schools in African American communities which is totally against the church's mission, so I'm not sure and that's what I'd like to hear from them, why did you think this was necessary and why did you have to lie about it," said Wilson.
A report from the National Catholic Education Association found Black students makeup 7% of all Catholic schools in the United States but represented 18% of all students who lost their schools because of closures or consolidations between 2019-2021.
Late Monday night, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati got back to WCPO about this story with a statement saying:
"Regardless of the results of the City of Cincinnati inspection, an independent, professional engineering firm did a comprehensive assessment of the St. Joseph School building in May identifying a minimum of $2.5 million in repairs needed to reopen school safely. After considering the engineering firm’s assessment, the St Joseph Parish Council voted to close St. Joseph School for the 2023-2024 school year."
Watch Live:
