Some school districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are running their own “Philly Special” with the Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12.
Multiple districts informed parents this week of plans for a late start to school on Feb. 13, the day after Philadelphia and the Kansas City Chiefs play in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.
Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, and with an extended halftime show and smorgasbord of commercials, average running time is closer to four hours than the typical three-hour NFL game window.
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, multiple schools canceled classes on the day of the team’s victory parade. One year ago, when the Super Bowl featured the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, several Ohio and Kentucky schools were given the full day off with classes canceled.
Philadelphia sports fans are recognized as some of the most rabid. They are not known for their collective calm in victory or defeat. Last week, city officials ordered light poles and other upright structures downtown “greased” to prevent celebrating fans from climbing them after the NFC Championship Game.
The Monday following the Super Bowl is a common “sick day” for employees who partake in food, beverage and Friday night behavior on a school night.
In 2021, multiple schools in the Tampa region were closed to celebrate the Buccaneers’ second Super Bowl victory (over the Chiefs).
To get ahead of the anticipated silent roll call, multiple Philadelphia-area school districts released plans to delay opening. In South Jersey, Gloucester City schools announced a two-hour delayed opening the following day. Parts of the district are a bridge away from Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play home games.
“It is a rare and special time for families to watch our local professional team compete in the Super Bowl,” Superintendent Sean Gorman said in an email to the district. “We feel that it’s important to give students and staff the opportunity to enjoy the game with their families and still attend school and work the next day safely and well-rested.”
The Wissahickon School District, a six-school district in Montgomery County, Pa., said it would also have a two-hour delayed start.
–Field Level Media