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.

State data shows that low-income school districts are more challenging to operate, and the Allentown School District is one of them.

Board Director Craig Neiman, who represents Region 2, resigned due to work schedule conflicts.

The Allentown school board names Connecticut educator Carol Birks to run the district until a new superintendent is hired.

Community members supportive of ASD Superintendent John Stanford protested his firing by the Allentown school board Wednesday morning at the Lehigh County Courthouse. Stanford's last day on the job is Friday.

Hundreds of students were seen outside the school on Third Street in South Bethlehem as police responded to the incident on Monday. Officers blocked streets in the area and students and staff were moved to a nearby location.

Allentown school board approved a separation agreement with Superintendent John D. Stanford at Thursday's school board meeting. The terms and reason for the dismissal have not been disclosed.

The Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School is well on its way to moving in to its new location on Avenue C in Bethlehem by next school year.

The school district is expected to get two electric vehicle school buses as part of a pilot program.

School Board Director Patrick Foose said the school board harrassed him for voting against a new $80,000 scoreboard for the district's swimming pool and was not transparent about the process.

In an effort to maintain the positive atmosphere of football games, Easton police officers will be present.

Sources tell LehighValleyNews.com that the board is negotiating a separation package for John Stanford, who is 11 months into the job.

Three additional Lehigh Valley area school districts have partnered with a technology company to automatically ticket drivers who illegally pass school buses.