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.

Allentown School District Acting Superintendent Carol Birks joined the city's mayor, Matt Tuerk, for a conversation on issues facing the school district and plans for the future.

Several anonymous tips on school threats over the past two weeks have been found false, according to the Allentown Police Department.

A songwriting workshop at Broughal Middle School stems from a partnership between the Any Given Child program and Icehouse Tonight.

LehighValleyNews.com and PBS39 will host a community conversation on the future of Allentown School District tonight, bringing together stakeholders to address issues facing educators, students and public education.

Dieruff and Allen high schools and Trexler Middle School were locked down Monday after multiple unsubstantiated threats of mass violence were made to the district. Additional threats were made to Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, which also closed for the remainder of the day.

LCTI students were either evacuated from the building or sent back to home schools if en route

Dieruff High School was dismissed early Thursday morning after receiving multiple threats of violence through Safe2Say, the district’s anonymous tip line.

Democrat Nick Miller and Republican Dean Browning faced off for the redistricted seat that was designed to include more Latino representation.

Allentown School District's Interim Superintendent Carol Birks is vowing to build trust with community members by holding a November community forum. She said, "Given the opportunity, I will stay in this community."

The protesters spoke on the need for transparency and worry about corruption in the Allentown School District in the wake of John Stanford's removal.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and Carol Birks discussed ways to work together, and how the acting schools chief can build trust with community members.

The 77-year-old motorist received two citations and will not face serious criminal charges in the death of teacher's aide Angela Yowakim, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said.