School News

Nancy A. Walker, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor & Industry, was in Allentown on Thursday to announce $4.2 million in Industry Partnership grants for projects statewide that will prepare state workers and high school seniors for family-sustaining jobs.

Bethlehem school board looks to take action on Feb. 26 regarding the $1,291,075 purchase of 2,500 Google Chromebooks, including styluses and chargers for each device.

To meet security and safety concerns, a security officer may be on the way to each of East Penn School District's middle Schools.

A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.

Planned upgrades include new bullpens and batting cages and many renovations throughout the park.

To help female chess players in her native Botswana, Lehigh University graduate student Besa Masaiti established a chess tournament there — the Besa Masaiti WIM Norm Chess Championship.

Five Lehigh Valley schools have rifle teams that compete in the Northeast Pennsylvania Rifle League. Says one student: “We want to get more people involved and show it’s totally safe. Sometimes, our sport gets a bad rap because of what’s going on (in the world).”

Parkland School District Social Worker Diane Irish has begun hosting office hours for the Parkland REACH Village, a gathering space and community hub of information for anyone who lives in the district.

The Allentown School Board approved updates to programs that add new language and career training options for students. Some of the changes are the result of a survey of more than 1,800 high school students and focus groups, officials said.

Allentown City Council approved a 10-year lease that will see the college pay $15,000 in rent each year and invest up to $4 million in the stadium.

The region’s Catholic schools saw increased demand during COVID-19. Half the schools even had waiting lists.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math are key subjects in education and workforce development. They’re often combined into the acronym STEAM. But disparities exist when it comes to accessing programs in these fields.

Colleges throughout the region have been holding graduation ceremonies this month after a year unlike any other.

The Bethlehem Area School District is doing its part to get everyone in the Lehigh Valley vaccinated by hosting free clinics next week for students and parents on May 10.

Allentown families dusted off their backpacks and lunch boxes as elementary students returned to in-person learning on April 19. They’ve been virtual for more than a year.

As of April 13, elementary students in the Bethlehem Area School District are back in class four days a week more than a year after the pandemic began.

A new scholarship program between East Stroudsburg University and the Bethlehem Area School District is sending two graduating seniors to college, full tuition paid.

Now that Congress has passed the new COVID relief plan, state and local governments are learning whether they can use the money for roads and county health bureaus.

When the pandemic forced traditional schools to go remote, interest in the Commonwealth’s cyber charter schools surged. Enrollments went way up, and costs followed.

Last year, the state lost more than 450,000 jobs, and 2 million Pennsylvanians applied for unemployment. Gov. Tom Wolf’s new “Near Completers” program will help those who have seen their career training sidelined by the pandemic.

It’s been a year since Allentown schools were open. When the pandemic hit, the Allentown School District sent more than 17,000 students home to grapple with learning virtually.

The Allentown School District will face a nearly $55 million budget deficit by 2025 unless it makes major changes, or unless the Commonwealth changes the way it funds schools.