Overview
- After a full snow day and two virtual days, Philadelphia returned to in‑person classes Thursday, with the district excusing weather‑related lateness and resuming after‑school activities.
- Reopening exposed serious issues at multiple schools, including 45‑degree classrooms at Penrose, burst pipes and closed facilities at Vare‑Washington, and no running water or lunches at Mitchell, with snowbanks blocking ramps and exits.
- City data showed uneven plowing coverage, with roughly 30% of streets visited by plows in a 24‑hour window and many sidewalks uncleared, even as 14 teams with 200‑plus vehicles continued removal operations and trash pickup ran a day behind.
- SEPTA restored most services but kept several bus routes suspended due to icy secondary streets, and riders reported unsafe access to stops and unreliable app updates.
- Beyond Philadelphia, many districts across multiple states stayed closed or remote; Cincinnati Public Schools reopened Thursday with a call for residents to clear sidewalks, while Howard County, Md., closed again Friday after exceeding its allotted snow days and weighing makeup options.