📱 Disruptive digital citizens | Morning Newsletter
And why Philly is so hot.
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Thursday — especially to Dorothy the furry pig, who got loose on the Schuylkill Expressway yesterday and received water and snacks from motorists who stopped to help. We’re told she made it back to Kansas safely.
You already know it’s a hot one, with the thermometer’s mercury expected to cross 90 yet again. And no, that’s not exactly normal: Only three Philly summers in the past 50 years have had more days with such high temps.
Today, we also have an explainer on the murkiness of students’ free speech on social media. It’s set against the case of Great Valley Middle School, where students are still making TikTok accounts impersonating their teachers.
Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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When a student is disruptive at school, teachers and administrators are usually able to discipline them as they see fit. Less clear is what recourse educators have when a student acts out outside school hours — even when their actions directly affect those educators.
Misconduct in Malvern: Great Valley Middle School earned the national spotlight this week amid the revelation that students have been making TikTok accounts impersonating their teachers, including some depicting crude content. Now, murky lines around free speech are making it difficult to stop them.
Free speech precedent: In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a cheerleader who argued she was wrongly suspended from her Schuylkill County school after posting a profane rant on Snapchat. But that ruling didn’t offer explicit guidance for other districts in similar situations.
What schools can do: Great Valley School District is updating its digital citizenship curriculum and talking with families about how to better manage kids’ online behavior. Otherwise, legally, not much — and “it’s a frustrating position to be in,” the superintendent said.
After a brief break on Friday, another heat wave is expected to kick off this weekend. But before we get there, Philadelphia will meet a sweaty milestone.
🌡️ If the weather does what it’s expected to today, 2024 will be one of just four summers in the past half-century with 19 days of temperatures hitting at least 90 by July 11.
🌡️ Why is it quite so hot right now? Climate trends, the urban heat island effect, and the city’s geographical placement are all factors.
🌡️ Environmental reporter Frank Kummer has the stats-laden story. It comes with a reminder that these temps can be dangerous, as public health officials just reported Philly’s first heat-related death of the summer.
What you should know today
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who represents New Jersey’s Monmouth County, is now the first congressional Democrat in the state to publicly call for President Joe Biden to give up the presidential nomination. We asked where Pennsylvania’s Democratic Congress members stand.
As the GOP grapples with reproductive rights messaging, Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania proposed an IVF tax credit. It’s a new approach — but is it feasible?
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker hosted a news conference in which she doubled down on her controversial decision to require all city workers to return to full-time, in-person work, one day before a judge is set to consider a lawsuit seeking to block the policy from taking effect.
Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Miles Pfeffer, the Bucks County man charged with first-degree murder in the death of Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald last year.
Philadelphia tow truck drivers will soon be required to collect photo evidence of a parking violation before they tow a vehicle, under a state law signed Monday.
The billboard company Catalyst owes $23 million and faces foreclosures. Its founder says new projects are still coming in Philadelphia and New York.
Benefits Data Trust employees will be paid to keep working through Aug. 24, the date the local nonprofit is scheduled to shut down abruptly after 60 days’ notice, leaders told staff on Tuesday.
City reps walked away before the start of an Old City community meeting about a proposed intercity Greyhound bus terminal Tuesday night after the news media showed up to cover it.
A new federal program provides families with $120 for each school-aged child to buy groceries during summer months. Here’s how to access SUN Bucks.
🧠 Trivia time
One of the richest men in Korea, Michael B. Kim, just became Haverford College’s new board chair. The alumnus and private equity pro is also ...
A) An Olympic gold medalist
B) A TikTok influencer
C) The son of a prominent government leader
D) An author whose first novel is being made into a movie
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🧀 Chee(dda)ring: The Philly cheesemonger crowned the gratest in the country.
🤳 Wary of: Scam text messages pretending to be the PPA.
🍻 Visiting: These Jersey Shore bars on the beach, bay, and mainland, from Brigantine to LBI.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The latest product to get an investment from the Kelce brothers. (But does it taste anything like its name?)
BEAR REGGAE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Ramesh Raghupathi, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Let Freedom Ring. New Pennsylvania license plate designs — along with matching highway signs — will host this patriotic phrase to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country.
Photo of the day
🌊 One last beachy thing: The Jersey Shore rental market is seeing cancellations, dropped prices, and vacant weeks. Visitors say they’re abandoning high prices for other destinations. Shore reporter Amy S. Rosenberg looks into what’s going on.
Thanks, as always, for starting your day with The Inquirer. Back at it tomorrow.
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