K-12 News

Some Lehigh Valley school districts are seeing an increase in chronic absenteeism and truancy following the COVID-19 pandemic. And what was already an issue before COVID appears to have reached a level of urgency in some schools.

The Allentown School District made school uniforms optional this year for the first time since 2013.

Schools in the Lehigh Valley are about to start. Here's a roundup of the 17 school district's important dates and things to note.

Bethlehem Area School District teachers hit the streets on the city's South Side to help students feel comfortable transitioning to a new school experience.

A federal court judge is allowing the assistant principal who filed the civil rights lawsuit to amend his complaint. It stemmed from an altercation at a high school football game last fall.

Last year, Bethlehem Area and Allentown school districts were waitlisted to get rebate funding through the Clean School Bus program. Another round of applications for this fiscal year is open until later this month.

The Parkland School District now has two final options for how it will address projected overcrowding in its schools. A decision could come within the next two months.

The school was designated with a state Targeted Support and Improvement designation due to lagging performance by its cohort of economically disadvantaged students. Officials laid out plans to improve the issues present.

The new makerspace at Slatington Elementary School will help students learn STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) skills. It will primarily be used by an after school program called Schools & Homes In Education, or SHINE.

House Education Committee Chair Peter Schweyer said Level Up funding should be released immediately.

Casa Jeanette wants to turn a former medical-office building near the Allentown Fairgrounds into what it calls a "great, great asset" for residents.

State Senate Republicans added vouchers back to the budget while cutting Level Up funding for Allentown and Bethlehem Area school districts.

Many teachers were nominated. The district whittled them down to three candidates, which were voted upon by Allentown School District staff.

The Satanic Temple sued the Saucon Valley School District after district officials reversed course and barred the After School Satan Club from meeting in district buildings.

The 17-year-old Allentown Central Catholic senior has been monitoring the creek's surface lead concentrations, and plans to continue researching.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

There's two new candidates in the Allentown School Board race and one in the Southern Lehigh School board race.

Communities in Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania targets forces outside the classroom that prevent student success. It provides resources to address those issues and operates in nearly 30 schools in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The Lehigh Valley child care centers already have long waitlists, staffing shortages and high costs.

Easton Area School District will begin issuing digital report cards for elementary students this school year, starting in the second semester when they will introduce the concept to parents.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, is predicting highs in the 90s through Thursday. The Allentown School District sent students home early Tuesday because of the heat.

The Parkland School Board approved Edward “Eddie” Ohlson Jr. as the new varsity boys basketball coach, replacing Andrew “Andy” Stephens, who will become athletic director when Bill Dreisbach retires in September.