Students head back to school around Philadelphia region

Labor Day has come and gone and for many students in the Philadelphia area, that means it’s time to go back to school.
Students in many districts are returning to a changed environment – in different ways.
Over in the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania, high schoolers will be starting their day an hour later than they did last year. The district announced new start times for its elementary, middle and high schools with the goal of helping students get more sleep.
High school now starts at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m. Middle school’s start time was shifted from 8:15 a.m. to 8 a.m. And elementary schools’ start times shifted just a bit from 9 a.m. to 9:10 a.m.
“We made that change in accordance with the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health organizations that show the circadian rhythms of teenagers really make it hard for them to go to sleep early and wake up early,” said Amy Buckman, director of school and community relations for the Lower Merion School District.
“We hope that they’ll get more sleep, be more awake in school, hopefully, more awake on the roads if they’re driving to school, and we’ll see how the change affects them,” Buckman said.
It wasn’t the only district with a marked change from last year. Over in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, students were heading back to school for the first time since the district enacted a cellphone ban, part of a growing trend in schools nationwide amid concerns about students’ grades and mental health.
The restrictions, passed in August, will allow students to keep cellphones in their pockets or bags but they aren’t allowed to be used during instructional hours. The district’s superintendent said constant access to mobile devices is bombarding students.
“Kids are just growing up with a constant barrage on their mental health,” he told CBS News.
“I actually like it a lot,” said Nina Moore, a parent of two students including an 11th-grader at Cherry Hill High School East. She said the ban might make pickups from wrestling practice a little more complicated if she can’t reach her son, but overall is in support of phones being restricted while in school.
“It is a very easy distraction, a lot of the social media, kids use it during school,” Moore said.
John Papeika, a parent of two kids in the district said the policy “makes perfect sense” and should have been in place “years ago.”
“They’re here to learn and it’s a very easy distraction for kids,” Papeika said.
Every year the seniors at Washington Township High School gather to watch the sunrise in the school parking lot and catch up before class. We were there for the “Senior Sunrise” before the start of the 2024-25 school year.
We asked a few students what they’re looking forward to this year.
“It’s going to be an easier year hopefully,” said Daniel Nevin. “I just want to do good, prep myself for college, have good times, do good in sports and have a great year altogether.”
Love the positivity. Good luck to everyone this year!