Philly, Archdiocesan schools will close for Eagles Super Bowl parade
Other Philly-area schools, including Lower Merion, Marple Newtown, and Central Bucks, had already planned an unrelated day off Friday.
Make those parade plans, Philadelphia School District families and staff.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. on Tuesday confirmed that the district will mark the Eagles’ Super Bowl triumph and parade by closing all schools and offices on Friday.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Broad and Pattison. It will move up toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the toward City Hall and up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia also announced Tuesday afternoon that its high schools, as well as parish and regional Catholic elementary schools in both the city and suburbs, would be closed Friday.
“The Archdiocese of Philadelphia continues to extend its prayerful congratulations and best wishes to the Philadelphia Eagles on their historic victory in Super Bowl LIX,” spokesperson Ken Gavin said in a statement.
A number of other districts have already given students Friday off for non-Super Bowl related reasons: some schools build professional development days around existing holidays — in this case, Monday is Presidents’ Day — to allow families the ability to have a longer break.
Lower Merion has a staff development day Friday — meaning staff report to work for professional development, but students have off — as do Marple Newtown, Central Bucks, North Penn, and Cheltenham.
In South Jersey, the Gloucester City School District did not have a day off planned, but will close in light of the Birds’ victory, officials announced via social media.
“The Eagles’ victory is more than just a championship — it’s a moment of pride, unity and excitement for our students, staff and families,” the district announcement said. “We recognize the significance of this historic event and understand that many in our community will want to take part in the celebration.”
The Ridley School District in Delaware County also announced that schools would be closed Friday.
New Foundations Charter School in Philadelphia has also let staff and families know there will be no classes on Friday because of the Eagles parade.
The same applies for the Community College of Philadelphia, whose officials let students know that the decision came “in honor of the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory parade and in light of street closures.”
Temple University, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania are also cancelling classes for the parade.
Staff writers Melanie Burney and Susan Snyder contributed to this article.