Students at the Morton McMichael School, a K-8 public school located on Fairmount Avenue in the Mantua neighborhood, will have a brand new playground when the 2022-2023 school year begins next week, as the result of a joint effort by the School, Drexel University, and the Mantua Civic Association.

The new 12,000-square foot recreation space officially opened yesterday. It was the culmination of more than a decade of planning, fundraising and execution.

“This playground is a splendid example of what we can accomplish by working together as a community,” Drexel President John Fry said at the opening ceremony. Continue Reading

Community College of Philadelphia’s brand new Career and Advanced Technology Center (CATC) has officially opened at 48th and Market. A ribbon cutting ceremony with the participation of city, state and College officials took place this morning.

The new state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility will offer short-term certificate programs in the Advanced Manufacturing, Health Care, and Transportation Technology fields. It will also host associate degree programs that will help students meet the ever-changing needs of these industries. One program in particular is the Toyota Technician Training & Education Network (T-TEN) program which will provide state‑of‑the‑art, hands‑on automotive diagnosis and repair training. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) has released updated COVID-19 health and safety protocols for the 2022-23 school year.

For the first 10 days of the new school year – from August 29 through September 9 – all students and staff will be required to wear masks while in school, regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level (see CDC COVID-19 Community Level Indicators).

Beyond the first 10 days of the new school year, masking is optional but encouraged for students and staff except under certain circumstances: Continue Reading

The second annual Back-to-School Celebration and Bus Tour, organized by the School District of Philadelphia, kicked off today. The tour, which features a specially-wrapped school bus, will make a total of 10 stops comprised of four mega-events and six pop-up events across Philadelphia.

Students and their families are invited to attend these events for an opportunity to receive a free backpack, school supplies and important back-to-school information. Parents and guardians can also register their children for pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 and sign up for the Parent Portal.

In addition to opportunities provided at the pop-up event, at each mega-event families will have opportunities to receive free state-mandated immunizations and the required school and sports physicals as well as free COVID-19 vaccinations. Mega-events will feature food trucks, ice cream and interactive, educational activities for children.

The following Back-to-School events will take place in West Philadelphia: Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia students and staff will again be required to wear masks during the school and work day starting Monday, May 23 and until further notice.

The decision to return to mask wearing at District schools was made due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases in the city and after consultation with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH). Masks will also be required while riding transportation coordinated by the District.

The School District will continue to work with PDPH to closely monitor COVID case counts.

As of May 16, Philadelphia averaged 364 new COVID-19 cases per day. 142 people were hospitalized with the infection as of May 18.

Starting today, students and staff at Philadelphia public and Archdiocesan schools are not required to wear masks. The mask mandate has also been lifted for early childhood education settings, except for Head Start programs. Masking also continues in pre-K classrooms that also have Head Start students.

Masks will again be required in all Philadelphia schools for one week following spring break to avoid a possible post-break surge in cases.

The City’s Department of Public Health announced last Wednesday the immediate transition to the All Clear COVID-19 response level due to the continuous drop in the number of new cases and some other criteria. The All Clear level (Level 1) means that proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks are no longer required in most indoor public places. Masking is still required on public transit and in healthcare settings.

During the All Clear period, businesses may choose to require staff and patrons to wear a mask and/or show proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated residents are advised by the Department of Public Health to wear a mask in indoor settings.