Philadelphia Public Schools Could Close Extra Day for Papal Visit
Left, by Jeff Fusco. Right, Pope Francis via giulio napolitano / Shutterstock.com.
Philadelphia’s public school students could with something like a Fall Break around Pope Francis’ visit.
Public schools are already closed Wednesday, September 23rd, for Yom Kippur and Friday, September 25th, for the papal visit. And Philadelphia School District superintendent William Hite, Jr. is asking for the approval of the School Reform Commission to close public schools on Thursday, September 24th, CBS Philly reports.
School District spokesman Fernando Gallard told the station that the extra day off on Thursday could help city officials prepare for the weekend: “The less traffic there is, the less mobility of students and parents going back and forth to schools, the easier it will be for [city officials].”
As Mayor Nutter announced yesterday during a press conference, it is not yet known whether public schools will close on Monday, September 28th, following the weekend’s papal events.”That decision could be made in advance or it could wait until that particular weekend. It could be almost treated as we treat a weather-related closure,” Gallard told CBS Philly, adding that the School Reform Commission will take up Hite’s request to close schools as a vote at their August 20th meeting.
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