Latest news with #TonyWatlington
CBS News
23-05-2025
- CBS News
School District of Philadelphia paid nearly $700,000 to bad actors in cyber fraud scheme
The School District of Philadelphia appears to have been hit with a cyber fraud scheme that resulted in nearly $700,000 being diverted, authorities said. City Controller Christy Brady made a joint announcement on Thursday with Councilmember Isaiah Thomas and District Superintendent Tony Watlington. According to the release from the Office of the City Controller of Philadelphia, one of the payments totaled more than $560,000 for services involving flood damage repair work, and three other payments were made for compensatory services. Brady said during fiscal year 2024, malicious actors apparently posed as two legitimate vendors and were sent money electronically using an automated clearing house. "Based on the information provided to our office, it appears the bad actors gained unauthorized access to the school district's banking data or manipulated existing payment systems to send unauthorized funds to their own accounts," Brady said. The real vendors didn't get the funds. So far, those payments have not been recovered. "We want to ensure taxpayer dollars are dedicated to meeting educational needs and enriching students' experiences," Thomas said in the release. "We are committed to full transparency in the spending and management of tax dollars. The public has a right to know how their money is being used." The fraud was limited to specific vendor payment processes and did not put student data or the school system's financial data system at risk, a news release from the school district said. Neither incident involved the school district paying more than it owed to the vendors, according to the district. Brady said she has asked the Pennsylvania attorney general to investigate. A spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia said the district implemented several measures to combat cyber fraud, such as revising bank confirmation processes, improving the process to validate payment changes with vendors, and strengthening internal controls. "I strongly value collaboration and grateful for the continued support of the school district and governing officials," Brady said. "By working together, we will assist the school district in recovering any available funds and implementing safeguards to prevent future fraud."
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Philadelphia Schools Could Start Before Labor Day for the Next 2 Years
This article was originally published in Chalkbeat. Philadelphia students could head back to classes before Labor Day for the next two years, according to proposed academic calendars the district released Tuesday. The pre-Labor Day start for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 calendars will allow for longer spring and winter recesses as well as additional cultural and religious holidays throughout the year, district officials said this week. Superintendent Tony Watlington also confirmed Tuesday that district schools and offices will be closed on Friday for the Philadelphia Eagles celebratory Super Bowl parade. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 'We look forward to celebrating the Eagles' victory as a community, and we hope that our students, staff and families will do so safely and responsibly,' Watlington said in a statement. The question of whether to start before or after Labor Day has rankled families and district leaders in recent years, in part because many Philly schools do not have adequate air conditioning. That has forced some buildings to close or dismiss students early due to excessive heat in the first week back. This school year, the first day back landed before Labor Day, and 63 schools without air conditioning dismissed students early, during the first week of classes. However, school started after Labor Day in 2023-24, and heat closures still impacted students' learning time that first week. Watlington said at his state of the schools address this year that over the past three school years, the number of schools without air conditioning has shrunk from 118 to 57 thanks in part to a donation from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Shakeera Warthen-Canty, assistant superintendent of school operations and management at the district, said their academic calendar recommendations this year are built off of a survey and several in-person feedback sessions. The majority of parents and caregivers who responded preferred a post-Labor Day start, the survey found. But students, teachers, school staff, and community members reported they overwhelmingly preferred starting the school year before Labor Day. Some 16,400 parents, students, school staff, principals, and community members responded to the survey the district sent out last September, Warthen-Canty said. Respondents also said they wanted more frequent breaks for longer durations to accommodate family vacations, as well as time to rest, support mental health, and prevent staff burnout. State law says districts must have a minimum of 180 student days, or a minimum of 900 instructional hours for elementary school students and 990 hours for middle and high school students. The district's collective bargaining agreement with the teachers union also requires 188 teacher work days, as well as a minimum of 28 professional development hours. The district officials' calendar recommendations will go to the school board for a vote before they are enacted. If approved, winter recess would be seven days in 2025-26 and eight days in 2026-27, while spring break would be five days both years. In addition to the five state and national holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day), Philadelphia school district school holidays in 2025-26 and 2026-27 would include: Labor Day Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Indigenous Peoples Day Veterans Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Presidents Day Lunar New Year Eid al-Fitr Good Friday Eid al-Adha Juneteenth This school year, both Indigenous Peoples Day and Veterans Day were school days. As for how the new calendar may interact with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's commitment to 'extended-day, extended-year' school: Deputy Superintendent Jermaine Dawson said this week the district has ensured any expansion of that program will work 'alongside our calendar of school days.' This story was originally published at Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Reuters
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Over 1 million fans expected at Philadelphia Super Bowl parade
February 11 - The city of Philadelphia is preparing for more than 1 million fans to celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX championship at a downtown parade on Friday. City officials, at a news conference Tuesday, announced details of the parade, which will follow the same route as the Eagles' 2018 celebration after they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Tony Watlington, the superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, also announced Tuesday that all city schools will be closed Friday to allow families to attend the parade. Several school districts in Philadelphia suburbs in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey already had announced school closures. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, heading toward City Hall. From that point, buses will transport the players to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where players and coaches are expected to address the crowd from the famous steps leading to the building. The site is where Sylvester Stallone, portraying fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, triumphantly ran the stairs in the 1976 movie "Rocky."
CBS News
10-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Fans set towels on fire, pull down traffic poles in Philadelphia after Eagles win Super Bowl
Philadelphia Eagles fans wasted no time flooding the streets of Center City to celebrate the Birds' stellar Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night. Though city officials urged fans to stay safe in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Chopper 3 captured some of the havoc that broke out in the hours after the game ended. At 12th and Market Street, video captured fans setting towels and sheets that were pulled out of a box truck on fire. Police were seen pushing back crowds and using fire extinguishers to put out the flames. Nearby on 13th and Market, large crowds were seen pulling down traffic poles. Video also showed fans setting off fireworks in the middle of crowded streets, though there have been no reports of injuries as of Monday morning. CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to Philadelphia Police for more information on any arrests and the extent of Sunday night's property damage. Police were still working to disperse crowds around 1:30 a.m. Mounted officers and police on motorcycles blocked traffic on Center City Streets, and at the same time many people in the city received an alert on their phones that read "Philadelphia Police order crowds to disperse and leave Center City streets. Follow instructions from Philadelphia Police on where to exit." City offices, Philadelphia schools open on Monday It was a late night for Eagles fans, but city offices and services will be open on Monday during regular business hours. Trash and recycling pickup are also on their normal schedule. And while some school districts are giving students a few extra hours to sleep in today, the School District of Philadelphia will open at its normal time Monday. In a video posted last week, Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington said the decision was made in part based on superstition. "In 2018, when the Eagles went to Super Bowl LII and won against the New England Patriots. As I recall, we did not have a two-hour delay in the school district. The Eagles returned to the game five years later for Super Bowl LVII. That year, well, we did have a two-hour delay, and guess what? Unfortunately, the Eagles lost." "And so, in keeping with the winning tradition, we will not have a two-hour delay on Monday, Feb. 10. Schools will operate on normal schedules. …I hope all of you enjoy the game with friends and family and cheer on our Eagles safely. And I look forward to seeing you back at school and work on Monday. Go Birds!"
CBS News
06-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Philadelphia public schools won't have 2-hour delay if Eagles win Super Bowl 2025
Sorry, Philadelphia public school students. If the Eagles dethrone the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, there will be no schedule changes for the day after. In a video posted to YouTube, Superintendent Tony Watlington says the School District of Philadelphia will operate on normal schedules on Monday, Feb. 10, regardless of the result of Super Bowl 2025. Watlington's reasoning, however, reeks of superstition — certainly a normal feeling for Eagles fans. "Having been a social students teacher and still a bit of a student of history, I want to share a little bit of history with you," Watlington said. "In 2018, when the Eagles went to Super Bowl LII and won against the New England Patriots. As I recall, we did not have a two-hour delay in the school district. The Eagles returned to the game five years later for Super Bowl LVII. That year, well, we did have a two-hour delay, and guess what? Unfortunately, the Eagles lost." "And so, in keeping with the winning tradition, we will not have a two-hour delay on Monday, Feb. 10. Schools will operate on normal schedules. …I hope all of you enjoy the game with friends and family and cheer on our Eagles safely. And I look forward to seeing you back at school and work on Monday. Go Birds!" On Monday, at least five districts or schools in New Jersey will operate on two-hour delays: Cumberland Regional High School, Camden County Technical School District, Gloucester City, Haddon Heights and Pennsauken. Kickoff for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans is scheduled for about 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
