Catholic school in Mississippi Delta closing after 70 years

GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) — A Catholic elementary school that primarily serves Black and Hispanic families in the Mississippi Delta is closing after more than 70 years, following a sex abuse scandal, declining enrollment and a steep decrease in donations. St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood has notified teachers and families that it will close at the end of this week. It joins more than 200 other Catholic schools in the U.S. that have closed permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic. The school in Greenwood has been tarnished by a clergy sex abuse scandal dating back to the 1990s. A former friar who was a teacher and principal was convicted in April of abusing a former student.