School News

Francis Anonia, a former Parkland High School performing arts teacher, was arraigned in Lehigh County Court on Friday morning on charges he used his cell phone multiple times to secretly record a male student in a school changing room in 2022. If found guilty of all 19 charges, he could face up to 88 years in prison.

Robert “Bob” Smith Jr., 63, and Robert “Nick” Nicholoff, 29, will both seek spots on the Allentown School Board this election cycle. Both have board experience.

At the request of the Northampton Area School Board, the district administration provided options for where the district could save money as budget discussions for the 2025-26 fiscal year got underway.

School directors had to choose from seven options for updating Moore Elementary, ranging in cost from $15.5 million to $70 million.

There's an ongoing investigation into a sixth-grade assignment that asked students prompts about slavery, according to the school district superintendent.

Custodial and maintenance workers think the Teamsters could help them get a stronger contract when their current one expires in June. Allentown School District is recommending workers vote for no union representation.

Phoebe Harris, 59, first was elected to Allentown School Board in 2017. She has advocated for students and sometimes found herself at the center of controversy.

In the last year and a half, Allentown School District spent more than $1.4 million on new instruments and hired 34 educators to teach the related arts, which include band, choir and orchestra, among others.

Allentown School District's director of child nutrition services has added more culturally diverse options to school lunch menus. Students have noticed the changes, and they're happy about it.

Young students of Roosevelt Elementary School squealed with joy when Santa Claus, Teddy Oso and Lehigh Valley IronPigs' mascot FeRROUS roamed the hallways at the annual Christmas event.

Students across the Lehigh Valley have been speaking out about racial inequalities in schools. And as part of these discussions, students say that they don’t want the police to play a role in their academic future. WLVR’s Genesis Ortega reports.

For the first time, Penn State University Lehigh Valley students can pursue a degree in cybersecurity.

Summertime is typically a time for kids to get a break from school. It can also be a time for summer slide; the learning loss many children experience during summer vacation. And this year, COVID-19 class cancellations turned what’s typically a two month recess into six months.

For 34 years, Russell Valentini, the man Allentown knows as Rooster, has been the one person families could turn to. When landlords locked them out, when shelters were full and when there was no cash left to pay for dinner.

Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts found a creative way to safely celebrate their graduating seniors.

Many Pennsylvania educators and school employees may not have received unemployment benefits since stay at home orders began.

Athletic competition could soon return to parts of Pennsylvania. WESA’s Sarah Schneider reports that new preliminary guidance was released Wednesday, June 10.

The nation’s highest honor for graduating high school seniors is being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Only three students in Pennsylvania earned that honor this year - and two happen to not only live in the Lehigh Valley, they also go to the same school.

Bethlehem Area School District is working on contingency plans for the new school year in September.

For a full list of our reports and resources, visit WLVR.org/health and keep up with the latest news on this situation on our Live Blog.

All schools in the Allentown School District and the Easton Arts Academy are closed today and tomorrow amid concerns around the coronavirus. Multiple sources are reporting the Easton case is related to a student’s travel to New York.

The global coronavirus outbreak is disrupting spring break travel and study abroad classes for local colleges.