K-12 News

Palmerton Area principal Ralph Andrews has declined an offer to become Hanover Elementary School principal, according to an agenda item on tonight's Bethlehem Area School Board meeting.

There have been hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines triggered by BusPatrol's cameras in Allentown, along with growing backlash from local drivers who say the system is highly flawed.

The document includes details that weren't previously available to the public, including information about Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty’s paid time off, merit bonuses and tuition reimbursement benefit.

The PPL Foundation has provided CIS of Eastern PA with $425,000 in financial support over more than two decades. The partnership recently was celebrated at the Champions For Education celebration.

The $68 million, five-building expansion to the existing high school at 2700 N. Cedar Creek Blvd. will be voted on for final approval by the township board of commissioners in January.

Parkland School District officials on Monday presented early estimates for their 2026-27 budget. It includes a $20 million deficit, and could lead to a tax increase next year.

Costas Alesta's motion to withdraw his guilty plea filed was denied by county judge Judge Samuel P. Murray in a one-page order filed Friday, Nov. 7, county District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta said.

The Allentown School District and the Allentown School District Foundation are coordinating the emergency food drive through Friday, Nov. 14, with help from Second Harvest Food Bank and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, introduced the bill in 2023 after a student brought a knife to Schnecksville Elementary School. Parents didn't learn of the incident until a week later.

The three-story, 19,580-square-foot academic field house is expected to open its doors on the first day of the 2026-27 school year, officials said.

Allentown School District held a kickoff event Thursday at South Mountain to tell students and families about the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program that gives each student an iPad for the school year.

The Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School in Allentown held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its $16.8 million school for fourth-to-eighth graders on Friday morning.

Commonwealth Charter Academy, a large, public, cyber charter school for all school-age children, plans to convert a nearly 47,000-square-foot, one-story building into office space for teachers and staff at 2200 W. Broad St.

Critics of the hiring process argued for a superintendent search instead of a direct appointment. Others said Karen Trinkle had more than proven herself ready to lead, and a search would be lengthy and costly.

Planned to open to students for the 2027-28 school year, the roughly $59 million project will go up on the same land as its predecessor facility, which dated back to the 1930s.

School directors voted 5-2 to approve Ethan Ake-Little’s resignation and settlement agreement. His resignation takes effect Aug. 31.

Southern Lehigh school directors appointed Karen Trinkle as chief of schools. They also approved a settlement agreement with Ethan Ake-Little, the HR director who filed discrimination and retaliation complaints against the former superintendent.

Ethan Ake-Little has been suspended with pay since June while the district investigated allegations about his job performance. Ake-Little previously filed discrimination, retaliation and fraud complaints against the former superintendent.

Additional cleaning and air quality testing remain underway at Sheridan and Ritter elementary schools, Allentown School District said in an update Sunday.

School directors are scheduled to vote Monday on whether to promote Assistant Superintendent Karen Trinkle to chief of schools. The proposed five-year contract comes a month after school directors voted to part ways with the previous superintendent.

Northampton Area School District’s inaugural Summer Career Mentorship Program exposed 50 high schoolers to careers in manufacturing, interior design, healthcare and more.

In an email, Allentown School District said mold spores were found in several elementary school classrooms. Remedial action has been taken, the district said in a release, and the classrooms will be tested ahead of the first day of school.