The School District of Philadelphia announced a plan Wednesday that would allow public school students from kindergarten through 2nd grade to return to classrooms two days a week across the city beginning Nov. 30.

At each school, kindergarten through 2nd grade students will be sorted into two groups. One group will attend class in person on Monday and Tuesday and the other group on Thursday and Friday. All students will participate in remote learning on Wednesdays, according to the plan.

The plan is opt-in, so parents can also choose to keep students at home where they will participate in online direct instruction, independent learning and small group instruction. The hybrid plan could be scrapped for a particular classroom or school if the “vast majority” of students don’t opt in or if “significant numbers” of teachers are unable to teach in person, according to the plan.  Continue Reading

The City’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program is currently in its second phase and the deadline for applications has been extended to Nov. 4. The program is designed to help renters who have lost more than 30 percent of their income due to reduced work hours/wages because of the pandemic, or have become unemployed after March 1 because of COVID-19.

Phase 2 rental assistance has recently been increased from $750 to up to $1,500 per renter per month. Payments will be made directly to landlords.

Other Phase 2 Program criteria include:  Continue Reading

If your trash or recyclables haven’t been picked up, here’s a new tool that will help you track the status of collections on your block. The Streets Department has announced the launch of PickupPHL, a new interactive map that will allow residents to view daily trash and recycling collections. The new platform has officially launched for public use today (Oct. 1).

The new tool provides direct access to the City’s residential sanitation services and residents will have almost real-time access to the Sanitation Division’s truck routing system. The public will be able to see the daily progress of the Streets Department’s residential collection routes. PickupPHL allows users to determine if a block has been visited by a trash, recycling or both trucks and identify where collections are taking place daily.  Continue Reading

The City has opened seven satellite election offices across the city for the November 3rd General Election to request and receive a mail-in ballot, complete the ballot and return it – all in person. Voters who requested and received their mail-in ballot can drop off their completed ballot at these locations.

Run by the City Commissioners, the offices will be open seven days a week, starting Tuesday, Sept. 29, and will remain open through Election Day.

The hours of operation are: Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Friday – Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Continue Reading

Still haven’t figured out your plan to vote in November’s general election? Here’s some info that will help.

First, there are some important dates. Oct. 19 is the last day to register before the Nov. 3 election. Check your registration status here. There are a number of ways to register, including online, by mail and in person. This is a good place to start.

Once registered, you have two choices. You can vote in person on Nov. 3 at, likely, a reduced number of polling places. Or, you can vote right now – by mail.  Continue Reading

Students in grades K-6 who don’t have internet access at their homes can now visit the city’s Access Centers for digital learning. Access centers are located in recreation centers, libraries, Philadelphia Housing Authority sites, and community-based organizations and provide a safe, supervised environment for digital learning. Parents and guardians have to register their child or children to be able to participate in this program.

There are 10 Access Center locations in West and Southwest Philadelphia, including the West Philadelphia YMCA, Kingsessing Recreation Center, Cobbs Creek Recreation Center, and more. To find an access center near you please use this finder.  Continue Reading