K-12 News

Nancy A. Walker, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor & Industry, was in Allentown on Thursday to announce $4.2 million in Industry Partnership grants for projects statewide that will prepare state workers and high school seniors for family-sustaining jobs.

Bethlehem school board looks to take action on Feb. 26 regarding the $1,291,075 purchase of 2,500 Google Chromebooks, including styluses and chargers for each device.

To meet security and safety concerns, a security officer may be on the way to each of East Penn School District's middle Schools.

A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.

Several Lehigh Valley schools are closing Tuesday because of the weather forecast.

Five Lehigh Valley schools have rifle teams that compete in the Northeast Pennsylvania Rifle League. Says one student: “We want to get more people involved and show it’s totally safe. Sometimes, our sport gets a bad rap because of what’s going on (in the world).”

Parkland School District Social Worker Diane Irish has begun hosting office hours for the Parkland REACH Village, a gathering space and community hub of information for anyone who lives in the district.

The Allentown School Board approved updates to programs that add new language and career training options for students. Some of the changes are the result of a survey of more than 1,800 high school students and focus groups, officials said.

Officials from the Allentown school district spoke with hesitant optimism about the benefits the state's new spending plan could bring to the district.

Away from the fields and courts used by thousands of student-athletes, some Lehigh Valley schools for decades have maintained rifle teams. The Northeast Pennsylvania Rifle League is made up of 11 teams including the Lehigh Valley's Emmaus, Freedom, Liberty, Salisbury and Southern Lehigh high schools.

In an hour-and-a-half public comment section, numerous parents and residents called on Easton Area School District to fire a school nurse supervisor over controversial social media posts.

PBS39 broadcast and livestreamed the event, the first of four such candidate forums put on by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. All but one Allentown candidate attended the Monday event to discuss their reasons for running.

In the past couple weeks, two elementary school students have managed to wander out of their respective schools unattended. Allentown School District said it's implementing a buddy system.

The hourlong program starts at 6 p.m. tonight and examines the impact of plans by the Trump administration to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and give control to state and local leaders.

Police said Stephanie Williams, 39, kicked out the window of a police car during a Sept. 13 incident at Bucky Boyle Park.

Policy revisions to freedom of speech, educator misconduct and tobacco/vaping use were approved by the Whitehall-Coplay School Board on Monday night.

Bethlehem Area school directors approved a resolution Monday to withhold some charter school payments amid the state budget impasse. Full payments will resume and back pay will be issued once state funding is available.

Amelia Coleman was appointed as ASD's newest deputy superintendent. Her contract runs until June 30, 2029.

School directors on Thursday approved agreements with the district's administrative employees, administrative assistants and cafeteria managers.

Allentown Education Association President Leslie Franklin spoke at Thursday's school board meeting about staffing shortages and administrator turnover. But the district said staffing is strong.

A Palmerton Area principal was tapped for the BASD role. He'll take over for the acting principal who has been leading Hanover Elementary since last spring when the school's previous leader was arrested for drunken driving.

JOSHWAY, a local youth-focused nonprofit organization, is holding the community event Saturday. Registration is required.