New Jersey school districts announce 2-hour delay for morning after Eagles' Super Bowl LIX appearance
After the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, students in at least two New Jersey school districts will have a couple extra hours to sleep in.
Officials in the Gloucester City, New Jersey, school district announced a two-hour delayed opening for Feb. 10 — the Monday morning after the Super Bowl.
Pennsauken Public Schools have announced a two-hour delay as well.
Super Bowl LIX starts at 6:30 p.m. With both the game and the Super Bowl halftime show — headlined this year by Kendrick Lamar, with SZA as a guest — it's very likely things won't wrap until after 10 p.m.
"It is a rare and special time for families to watch our local professional football team compete in the Super Bowl. We feel that it's important to give students and staff the opportunity to enjoy the game with their families and still attend school & work the next day safely and well-rested," Gloucester City High School wrote on its Facebook page.
The post concluded with "have a nice evening. Go Birds."
Gloucester City is just across the river from South Philadelphia.
The post from Pennsauken says, "We feel this allows our students, families, and staff the ability to enjoy the game and still attend school safely the next day."
According to the district website, Burling Alternative School will operate on a normal schedule and AM Pre-K is canceled on Feb. 10. AM LAM services are also canceled.
Philadelphia area schools had delayed openings for past Super Bowl appearance
The Gloucester City School District also had a delay the morning after Super Bowl LVII in 2023, when the Eagles also faced the Chiefs. That year, the School District of Philadelphia, Archdiocese of Philadelphia and many other districts also announced delayed openings to allow students and parents to sleep in.
Eagles fans had a long night as the city of Philadelphia toasted the Birds' NFC title game victory over the Washington Commanders with a massive party along Broad Street on Sunday. There was dancing, singing, Eagles chants and of course, a few people climbed some poles.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said Philadelphia police and emergency responders handled the crowds well, but she warned residents not to fire guns in any celebration. In a video widely shared on social media, a man could be seen firing a gun into the air multiple times as a large crowd of fans gathered at Frankford and Cottman avenues after the NFC title game win.
Should the day after the Super Bowl be a holiday?
Some groggy NFL fans have lobbied for the league to add another game to the regular season schedule, lengthening the season by one more week. Teams would then play 18 games over 19 weeks, with one week for a bye.
That extra week would make Super Bowl Sunday the day before Presidents Day, when schools, banks and government offices are closed — a natural day off for many parents and students.
The next chance for that schedule change to happen would be when the NFL's current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2030, CBS News Boston reported.
