What’s next for Philly’s school reopening plan? | Morning Newsletter
Plus, 63% of MFL riders are wearing face masks.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
When restaurants reopened for outdoor dining, servers began to feel like a new group of front-line workers confronting the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers are starting to feel that, too. Dozens of Philadelphia school teachers gathered this weekend to put pressure on the city’s school district to revise its back-to-school plan. Now, Superintendent William R. Hite has pulled his plan back leaving teachers, staff, parents, and students to wonder what comes next.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
SEPTA began requiring facemasks last month, but there are riders who feel that more needs to be done, especially as more commuters return. So far, SEPTA says that about 30% to 35% of ridership is back.
Overall, about 81% of SEPTA riders properly comply with the face-covering policy, according to video analysis. But that figure dips to 63% on the Market-Frankford line. On Regional Rail, compliance is high, up to 96%.
“This is not going to be a normal school year,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said, stating the obvious. Across the region and nation, schools are grappling with how to educate students this fall. In Philly, public outcry over the district’s initial plan has led to a pullback of those plans. So, now what?
Some middle-class and affluent parents aren’t waiting around. Pooling resources together, families are forming home-schooling “pandemic pods” and hiring private teachers to educate their children at home this fall. It has the potential to change education, but also to deepen inequality that already exists.
Pennsylvania was supposed to be a dogfight, a toss-up of a battleground state that could have determined who won the presidential race in November. But with fewer than 100 days until Election Day, public polls suggest that Joe Biden is winning — big.
Recent polls from Fox News, Monmouth University, and the New York Times/Siena College have Biden leading by double digits in Pennsylvania. By comparison, in July of 2016, Hillary Clinton led Donald Trump by about 3 percentage points in Pa.
What you need to know today
With tens of thousands of students scheduled to return to State College next month, Penn State is seeing an opportunity to turn Centre County into a massive coronavirus research project.
My colleague Jenn Ladd writes about what it’s like to be a server during the pandemic.
The Free Library of Philadelphia is facing a moment of racial reckoning after its longtime director resigned.
The founder of the iconic South Philly cheesesteak spot Tony Luke’s and his son were charged late last week in an $8 million tax evasion scheme.
Jewish leaders expressed outrage this weekend over an anti-Semitic meme posted by the president of the Philadelphia NAACP.
With locked gates and grass taller than some tombstones, the conditions at some Philly cemeteries are leaving families complaining.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
👀Sharks at the Shore? Thanks for sharing, @what.sue.seaas.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
🏕️The coronavirus has forced many kids’ camps to shut down. But for those camps that have stayed open, it’s been all about masks, sanitizer, and temperatures.
🏖️It has been an unusual summer at the Shore, my colleague Amy S. Rosenberg reports, with some people and businesses able to take advantage of the conditions while others struggle to get by.
🎖️A group of alumni blames the current board of trustees at Valley Forge Military Academy for falling enrollment, weakened finances, and mismanagement, leading to “a battle for [the school’s] soul,” my colleagues Sam Wood and Erin Arvedlund report.
🏀The Sixers are prepping for the NBA’s restart. And, so far, Ben Simmons looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s just one of the reasons why the Sixers will be so fun to watch even while playing in an empty gym.
🖼️Art critic Thomas Hine returned to museums after four months in lockdown. The art seems ”stranger, more alive, and deeply textured,” Hine writes.
🏋️Reopening doesn’t mean automatic survival for Philly gyms.
Opinions
“As a parent worried about my daughter’s social and emotional health after having to isolate her for months from other children, and as an educator who deeply values collaborative in-person learning, I sympathize with parents and teachers who are ready to sweep online learning into the dustbin of history. But as flawed as remote learning is, it doesn’t lead to death, and reopening our school buildings will, not only for students and staff, but also for families and communities.” — writes Adam Sanchez, an African American History teacher at Lincoln High School, about why Philly schools’ first reopening plans could have been a “disaster.”
Columnist Helen Ubiñas writes about hearing from the families and loved ones of victims of gun violence in Philadelphia.
Francis Cretarola, the owner of Ristorante Le Virtú, writes that his restaurant (and others) should be shut down.
What we’re reading
What should being Black in Philly look like? Philadelphia magazine has a series about what constitutes real progress and change.
There’s a lot of hope riding on a coronavirus vaccine. The Atlantic examines what has to happen once there’s a breakthrough.
ProPublica and the New York Times Magazine modeled how migration patterns might adjust because of climate change.
Your Daily Dose of | Phanatic cleats
Look closely at Bryce Harper’s cleats. On opening night Friday, the Phillies’ star outfielder wore a pair of custom-designed, Phanatic-themed cleats. And this year’s model is an upgrade over last year’s, complete with green fur and Swarovski crystals.