K-12 News

A Thursday morning panel discussion at Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem focused on a new statewide report showing that early childhood care teachers earn less than $12 an hour and are planning to leave the industry for higher-paying jobs.

At a school board meeting Tuesday, superintendent Jaime Vlasaty defended the decision not to allow the after-school Satan club to meet on campus, saying the group violated district rules.

20-year-old Ceu Uk, of Charlotte, allegedly threatened a shooting in the Saucon Valley School District in response to an after-school Satan club being allowed to meet on district property.

Joanne Dillman, a former educator and a North Whitehall resident, is running for a seat on the Parkland School Board.

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

As interest in the education field continues to decline, the report recommends systemic changes. A hearing of the state Senate Education Committee to examine the issue is set for this week.

The district superintendent said she was reversing course and rescinding approval for the club to use Saucon Valley Middle School. She said a violation of school board policy sparked the move.

Bethlehem Freedom High School's new Wellness Center is an area where students dealing with any type of emotional issue can go to either decompress alone and/or speak to one of four on-site therapists.

The Parkland School Board recognized student Tushar Mehta after he was chosen as the 2022 Congressional App Challenge Winner for the 7th District.

The Saucon Valley School District authorized use of its facilities to the After School Satan Club. Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty said the law prohibits the district from discriminating against religious groups wishing to use space.

Tuesday was the start for Pennsylvania’s K through 12 masking mandate. The order was issued last week by Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam, not Gov. Wolf. Sarah Anne Hughes, deputy editor for SpotlightPA, a nonpartisan investigative newsroom which has been covering these issues, recently joined us by phone to discuss the move by the Wolf administration.

Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives is mulling a legislative challenge to the Wolf administration’s latest mask mandate for schools. A group of state senators, meanwhile, is readying a bill to change the state’s constitution to prevent those mandates.

Whitehall-Coplay Superintendent Robert Steckel said they’re “staying the course” with their COVID-19 health and safety plan, but making adjustments for outside mandates such as the Wolf administration’s school masking requirement which went into effect on Sept. 7.

School districts across Pennsylvania are preparing to enforce a masking order handed down by Secretary of Health Dr. Alison Beam.

Pennsylvania officials on Tuesday announced a mask mandate for students and teachers in schools Pre-K to 12 and for licensed childcare providers.

Three contenders for the next superintendent of the Allentown School District have been selected by the school board.

It’s the first day of classes for Catholic school students in the Diocese of Allentown, and they’ll be wearing masks.

GOP statehouse heads nix special session on statewide school mask requirement

Keeping students safe and healthy is a challenge as they return to in-person learning amid delta variant threat

Gov. Tom Wolf is asking Pennsylvania's legislature to quickly approve a new statewide mask mandate for schools because his administration is worried that students returning to schools are going back to an unsafe environment.

The Bethlehem Area School District has added a new position to address the social and emotional needs of students and staff. The move comes as schools bring kids back to full-time in-person learning this fall.

Lawmakers joined the governor in Harrisburg on June 30 to highlight something education advocates have been calling for for a while: a boost in funding for some of the commonwealth’s poorest school districts.