K-12 News

The new school is expected to serve about 1,200 Allentown students in kindergarten through eighth grade. City Center is optimistic it will be ready for the start of the 2027-28 school year.

The free event runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13. It is open to all Allentown students, families and staff. There will be free school supplies, including backpacks, available.

Allentown School District appointed Alicia Knauff as acting head principal in July. She replaced Frank Derrick, who had been leading the school in an acting role for the last two school years.

Allentown's 111th annual Romper Day celebration was held at J. Birney Crum Stadium on Monday night. About 400 students who participated in the summer playground program exhibited skills including dance and calisthenics.

Allentown students took part in STEM activities, including stepping into an airplane cockpit, when Captain Barrington Irving flew into town with some hands-on critical thinking activities from his Flying Classroom.

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.

Candidates for Southern Lehigh School Board participated in a forum Tuesday at the Univest Public Media Center organized by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. There are seven candidates on the ballot, vying for four seats.

After a round of public interviews Monday, school directors chose David Gogel, 74, to fill a vacancy. He previously served on the school board for 20 years.

The League of Women Voters of the Lehigh Valley organized a forum Monday for all six candidates funning for the Parkland School Board. It was held at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

Liberty High School Principal Brandon Horlick said, “I feel like while students might not like the idea of being electronic device-free during instructional timeframes, they’ve risen to the occasion."

Candidates for Parkland School Board will participate in a forum tonight at the Univest Public Media Center organized by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. There are six candidates on the ballot, vying for four seats.

In a video posted to social media platforms Thursday, Stephanie Williams, 39, said she has bipolar disorder and experienced a manic episode on Sept. 13 at Bucky Boyle Park in Allentown.

The complex will have both a turf field and track for use by multiple athletic teams. It also will be opened up to Central Catholic's partner schools for younger students to have field days.

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.