The kindergarten registration line at Penn Alexander School in January, 2012. The school switched to a lottery last year. (Archive photo/West Philly Local)

The worst kept secret at Penn Alexander School (PAS) made the Daily News today. The neighborhood elementary school, which last year switched to a lottery from the first-come first-served kindergarten registration, has students who don’t live in the school’s neighborhood catchment.

The Daily News article focuses on a particular family who lives in Overbrook but has kids enrolled in PAS (you can read it here) thanks to connections with former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. The family’s name came up in comments on West Philly Local last year when the district implemented the kindergarten lottery.

Here are some other details from the Daily News piece:

• 34 students out of PAS’s 550-student enrollment are living outside the catchment, according to the school district.
• Not PAS administration, but former Philadelphia School District superintendents, including the most recent one, now deceased Arlene Ackerman, could and did use admission exceptions for out-of-catchment students for “an extenuating circumstance … that’s for the well-being and safety of the child,” according to Fernando Gallard, the school district’s spokesperson.
• Current superintendent William R. Hite Jr. has not used this privilege, Gallard told Daily News.
• The district won’t pull any children who live outside the catchment from the school to avoid disruption of their education. In the future, however, the district will allow only families living inside the school boundaries to attend the school, according to Gallard.

To read more about PAS and its recent enrollment issues, click here.

Mayor Michael Nutter declared a “snow emergency” at about 3 p.m. today, meaning parked vehicles must be moved off “snow emergency routes” as soon as possible so they can be plowed.

Several major streets in West Philly will be affected, including Chestnut Street, Walnut Street and Woodland Avenue. If your vehicle remains on one of these streets it will be ticketed and towed. If your car is towed, call 215-686-SNOW to find out where they took it. If you have to move your car, city officials are asking you to move it as far from a corner as possible to allow the plows room to turn.

So far most bus, train and trolley routes are still running, but may have delays. Go to SEPTA.ORG for info. Also, public and parochial schools are closed tomorrow.

See the full list of snow emergency routes citywide here.

In West Philly, snow emergency routes include:

• Chestnut Street from Cobbs Creek Parkway to 20th Street
• Walnut Street from Broad Street to Cobbs Creek Parkway
• Woodland Avenue from Cobbs Creek Parkway to University Avenue
• 34th Street from University Avenue to Grays Ferry Avenue
• 38th Street from Walnut to University Avenue
• 63rd Street from City Avenue to Walnut Street
• University Avenue from 38th Street to 34th Street
• Island Avenue from Woodland Avenue to Enterprise Avenue
• Cobbs Creek Parkway from Walnut Street to Woodland Avenue
• Schuylkill Avenue from Market Street to Walnut Street

UPDATE (3:00 p.m.): All public schools, early childhood and after school programs will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 22, the School District of Philadelphia announced this afternoon.

All School District of Philadelphia schools and early childhood programs had early dismissal today (Tuesday, Jan 21) due to the severe weather forecast. Students were dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

Weather people are predicting between 7 inches and a foot of snow from this thing. The snow keeps falling and the temperatures are expected to drop below 10 overnight.

Here’s a heads up for parents looking for school registration information for next year at two neighborhood schools.

The registration lottery period for the Penn Alexander School (43rd & Locust) begins next Tuesday, Jan. 21, and runs through Friday, Feb. 28, according to the School District of Philadelphia. The registration is open to students who live within the school’s catchment area. Proof of residence will be required for registration. Applications can be submitted at the school between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. The lottery will be conducted on March 5 and parents will be notified by letter during the week of March 10.

Kindergarten enrollment at the Henry C. Lea School (47th & Locust) also begins on Jan. 21. The Lea School will host an open house on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. The open house will start in the school’s auditorium (the entrance is through the small playground on Locust Street). If you are interested in Lea but don’t live in the catchment the deadline for the voluntary transfer process is this Friday, Jan. 17. Get more information here.

As snow continues to fall this evening, the School District of Philadelphia has posted an announcement that all public schools will be closed on Friday, Jan. 3 due to the severe weather forecast. All early childhood and after school programs will also be closed.

A decision regarding the closure of administrative offices is pending and will be posted by 5 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 3. The public is urged to monitor the District Web site at www.philasd.org for any updates. Updated information will also be posted on the District’s Information Hotline at 215-400-INFO (4636).

Due to the severe weather forecast, all School District of Philadelphia schools are closed for Tuesday, December 10. Early childhood and after school programs are also closed, the district announced. Administrative offices are open.

The general public and media are urged to monitor the District Web site at www.philasd.org for any updates. Updated information will also be posted on the District’s Information Hotline at 215-400-INFO (4636).