School News

Parkland High School teachers reported suspected misconduct by ex-performing arts administrator Frank Anonia more than a decade before his arrest on charges of secretly recording a student in a dressing room, a former teacher testified. Anonia is due in court for a criminal trial this week.

The Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School in Allentown held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its $16.8 million school for fourth-to-eighth graders on Friday morning.

Commonwealth Charter Academy, a large, public, cyber charter school for all school-age children, plans to convert a nearly 47,000-square-foot, one-story building into office space for teachers and staff at 2200 W. Broad St.

Critics of the hiring process argued for a superintendent search instead of a direct appointment. Others said Karen Trinkle had more than proven herself ready to lead, and a search would be lengthy and costly.

Planned to open to students for the 2027-28 school year, the roughly $59 million project will go up on the same land as its predecessor facility, which dated back to the 1930s.

School directors voted 5-2 to approve Ethan Ake-Little’s resignation and settlement agreement. His resignation takes effect Aug. 31.

Southern Lehigh school directors appointed Karen Trinkle as chief of schools. They also approved a settlement agreement with Ethan Ake-Little, the HR director who filed discrimination and retaliation complaints against the former superintendent.

Ethan Ake-Little has been suspended with pay since June while the district investigated allegations about his job performance. Ake-Little previously filed discrimination, retaliation and fraud complaints against the former superintendent.

Additional cleaning and air quality testing remain underway at Sheridan and Ritter elementary schools, Allentown School District said in an update Sunday.

School directors are scheduled to vote Monday on whether to promote Assistant Superintendent Karen Trinkle to chief of schools. The proposed five-year contract comes a month after school directors voted to part ways with the previous superintendent.

The governor said he will turn over masking decisions to local school officials on Jan. 17.

Conflict and tension have ramped up at school board meetings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Some families are still waiting on funds they were supposed to get months ago to make up for meals students missed during last school year.

When schools closed or went hybrid due to the pandemic, low-income students missed free or reduced-price meals available through the National School Lunch Program.

A bill that would require Pennsylvania public schools to post curriculum materials online is advancing through the state legislature. Republicans unanimously support it.

More meals and a lag between delivery and reimbursement compound the problem.

Penn State is requiring all University Park campus employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8 to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order, the university announced Tuesday.

First Lady Jill Biden visited Allentown on Wednesday to help celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and took time to listen to members of the city’s Latino community.

First Lady Jill Biden will be in Allentown Wednesday to help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting a “charla,” Spanish for “chat” or “conversation,” at the Community Services for Children’s Learning Hub.

The Allentown School District’s (ASD) new superintendent, John D. Stanford, is set to receive an annual salary of $230,000. Given the district’s financial challenges, some community members have called into question the amount allocated for his compensation.

First Lady Jill Biden’s visit on Wednesday will be a continuation of her series of conversations in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month during the last week of the 2021 celebration.

More than a month into the school year, Pennsylvania’s mask mandate for schools is still in place while schools and parents have adopted routines for keeping kids safe while remaining in the classroom.