School News

Easton Area School District may not be able to have their classic bonfire next week, but students are engaging in a new tradition: developing their own themed floats for the parade.

The hourlong program explores the audit that found the district not committed to equity and social justice. It was conducted over four months early this year. More than 5,000 students, staff and community members participated in surveys and dozens of school district leaders participated in focus groups.

At its Nov. 11 meeting, Northampton Area school directors considered five partial renovation options for Moore Elementary.

Northampton Area school directors approved the second round of financing for the East Allen Elementary School and education center project at their meeting last week.

Easton Area School District officially canceled its Thanksgiving eve bonfire following a meeting with police and fire officials, who voiced concerns for the safety of people and property.

Bethlehem Area school directors approved the purchase agreement for 315 Columbia St. in South Bethlehem at their Monday meeting. The space would serve as a satellite campus for the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School.

The new heating system is expected to be finished by spring. As of now, students say temperatures in the school are "unbearable."

The operations center will be at 2619 Stadium Drive, across from Orefield Middle School.

Officials from BAVTS and its sending school districts have discussed purchasing a South Bethlehem property that once was part of Bethlehem Steel, instead of moving forward with a proposed main campus expansion.

Almost 400 students at Washington Elementary School in Allentown received new winter coats for free thanks to the nonprofit organization Operation Warm, in partnership with PPL and Accenture.

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.