K-12 News

School directors voted 5-4 Tuesday to part ways with now former Superintendent Michael Mahon, who was on administrative leave for the last five months.

The Southern Lehigh School Board will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of Southern Lehigh High School to vote on both a separation agreement and mutual general release agreement between the district and Superintendent Michael Mahon.

Allentown school directors approved the $1.14 million partnership Thursday. The agreement runs from next month to June 30, 2028.

Alicia Knauff will start as the new acting head principal of Allen on Monday. She was hired as the principal of the school's Ninth Grade Academy before being tapped shortly after for the acting head role.

Superintendent Carol Birks said she doesn't have to talk about where she lives. School directors defended Birks from social media posts questioning her residency.

The Lehigh Valley’s James Lawson Freedom School is a six-week summer program that uses a multicultural literacy curriculum and an intergenerational teaching model.

Alicia Knauff is poised to take over as the acting head principal of the high school just months after she was hired as the first principal of Allen’s Ninth Grade Academy.

The district will keep the building and surrounding property with the intention of reopening the school at a later date that has not yet been determined.

The Da Vinci Science Center and Friends of the Allentown Parks are partnering to make science more accessible to Allentown kids and open their eyes to what's around them.

Lehigh has been hosting SSP’s International’s Summer Science Program this summer. During the five-week course, students get hands-on experience completing college-level research while getting a feel for campus life.

Bethlehem Area School Board discussed Monday parting ways with Saucon Valley School District over funding disagreements about the local vo-tech. They would continue working with Northampton Area School District.

Each student will receive $3,000 per year for a maximum amount of $12,000 over their four collegiate years beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year.

A local Boy Scout working on his Eagle Scout project is receiving grant money from Capital Blue Cross. His is one of a handful of initiatives receiving the money for community and educational projects.

Allentown School District is working to improve its students' busing experiences after the first few weeks of school presented transportation challenges.

Bethlehem Area School District celebrated the 100th anniversary of the building which once housed the historic Edgeboro Elementary School on Saturday, with hundreds of teachers, administrators, staff, and alumni showing up to share stories and check out artifacts from their pasts.

Allentown School Board approved the contract Thursday. Members of the Allentown Federation of Paraprofessionals, Local 1716, ratified the contract Wednesday in a 56-21 vote, with two abstentions.

Superintendent Jack Silva will work to improve academic achievement and attendance this school year. He also spoke about his goals for the next few years.

Awardees of the state Department of Education’s Environmental Repairs Grant program were announced Monday. It focuses on eliminating lead, mold, asbestos and other environmental hazards from school buildings.

In appreciation for the early intervention services he received at Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Nazareth Area High School junior Brody Muthard, 16, has chosen to build a playground there for autistic children for his Boy Scout Eagle Scout project.

Among the winners are projects to repaint the basketball court at Building 21; build several community gardens; and plant trees.

The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center on Wednesday held a news conference at the city’s Sculpture Garden announcing the nonprofit’s new report, “Lead in School Drinking Water.” Bethlehem Area School District was found lacking.

On Aug. 23, ASD's solicitor rescinded a cease-and-desist letter sent to the Allentown-based, anti-poverty nonprofit organization more than two years ago.