What to Know
- All Philly public schools will dismiss early Tuesday and Wednesday due to excessive heat.
- Aug. 27 marks the earliest start to the school year in Philadelphia.
- Superintendent Dr. William Hite says district workers spent the summer updating schools and making buildings safer.
All School District of Philadelphia schools will dismiss early Tuesday and Wednesday due to excessive heat. Classes will be dismissed at 1 p.m. on both days. After-school activities, including athletic programs and professional development sessions will also be canceled.
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s both days with the humidity making it feel like the low 100s.
The decision was made after students returned to class Monday (Aug. 27). It marked the earliest start to the school year ever for Philadelphia public school students as classes resumed a full week Labor Day.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and others celebrated the new school year by ringing the bell Monday morning.
The goal of the earlier school year is to focus education on the front end, to avoid "summeritis" and to start without an uninterrupted week so that educators and students can form relationships, Superintendent Dr. William Hite said.
With students back in the classroom, the focus is on the safety and comfort of young people inside and outside the classroom. The work started as soon as the last school year ended in June.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
More than 1,200 school district workers spent their summer breaks painting and plastering classrooms, improving HVAC systems in schools and modernizing classrooms, the district said. Remediation of asbestos and lead was also completed.
“More than 1,200 District maintenance staff and contractors have been hard at work this summer to ensure our school buildings are healthy, inviting and safe spaces for our children to learn, starting from the very first day of school,” Hite said. “In addition to the deep cleaning that each school receives over the summer, many schools were the recipients of accelerated health and safety projects to ensure that the next school year is a success for both students and staff.”
A state grant for $15.6 million went toward lead paint, mold and asbestos removal.
Drivers should be prepared to stop as children board and get off buses. Always keep a safe distance from a bus and stop when the bus displays its flashing lights and stop sign. Police are ensuring the safety of students by ticketing drivers who don't follow the rules.
The 2018-2019 school year is the first with the new nine-member, locally-appointed school board in nearly two decades.
Share your back-to-school photos here.
