DURHAM, N.C. _ Immaculata Catholic School will be closed Friday over threatened protests for inviting a Durham City Council member who is a lesbian to speak for Black History Month.
In a letter to parents, Father Christopher VanHaight apologized for any inconvenience but said he had to put children's safety first.
"Regrettably, I understand from a variety of sources that a number of groups are planning demonstrations at our school that day, to register their respective opinions regarding Vernetta Alston, an Immaculate alumna and Durham City Council member, who initially had been listed as one of the event speakers," VanHaight wrote in the letter.
"As pastor I cannot place our Immaculata students into this contentious environment," he wrote.
Efforts to reach Alston for comment were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon.
Alston, elected to the City Council in 2017, is an attorney who attended North Carolina State University for undergraduate school and received her law degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
She worked for the Center for Death Penalty Litigation for more than five years, where she served as co-counsel for Henry McCollum, who was exonerated after spending 30 years in prison, the Herald-Sun has reported.
Alston is married to a woman and they have a young child, the Herald-Sun has reported.
In addition to the school, the neighboring Immaculate Conception Church will be closed, according to an email to parents.
VanHaight closed his letter to parents with a prayer for healing.
"In the education and formation of your children, it is our mission as a Catholic school to assist Catholic parents in clearly teaching our Catholic faith, show respect for the dignity of every human person, and to invite all children to encounter Our Lord Jesus and to follow Him," he wrote. "I express my gratitude for your understanding and patience as we close this trying week. I also ask you to join with me in praying for faithfulness, strength and healing within and outside of our parish community and city."
