School News

Alleged unauthorized spending sparked the concept of the possible need, and forensic audits are typically done when there are specific allegations of misconduct, according to the district's solicitor and business manager. At least one school board member voiced early opposition to the audit.

The annual school board reorganization is among several agenda items on the docket for Thursday night.

Carol Birks discussed safety, learning and retention at a town hall meeting Wednesday at Hays Elementary School.

Students at Lehigh Valley school districts and across the state are continuing a downward trend of performing below pre-pandemic levels on state standardized tests.

Members of the group called for a review of library books and a policy banning transgender athletes, and they questioned white privilege and bias training.

The Northampton County Suicide Prevention Task Force and Bangor Area School District will come together to screen a documentary about Emma Benoit, “My Ascension.” It tells the story of her survival and “how it propelled her on a mission to use her experience to help others find hope and stay alive.”

Parkland High School will perform in Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in the school's history. The parade is the oldest in the country, dating back to 1920.

Newly-elected Lehigh Valley State Sen. Jarett Coleman has dropped a lawsuit he filed last year against the Parkland School District that sought to invalidate teacher pay raises. The trial over Sunshine Act breaches was scheduled to take place this week.

The Board has approved a contract for the services of retired Judge Emil Giordano to conduct an unspecified investigation in the Bethlehem Area School District.

A Black university student was victimized by white assailants who directed racial epithets at the student, according to a statement from the Lehigh University president.

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.

The William Allen High School boys basketball team is undefeated so far this season thanks to the team led by Head Coach Darnell Braswell, the first Black coach in the team’s history.

Lehigh University has revoked an honorary degree that President Trump held for more than 30 years. The school's board of trustees held a special vote this week after Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

All Bethlehem and Northampton Area School schools are going fully remote this Monday and won’t return to in-person learning until at least January 11th.

The Easton Area School District is looking to build its own cyber academy. District staff say the current program isn’t working for many families. And as WLVR’s Tyler Pratt reports, it appears to have cost the district millions of dollars.

Current state guidelines say schools should move to 100% virtual instruction in counties with “substantial transmission” rates. But many Lehigh Valley schools remain open, despite meeting that standard.

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education is drawing up plans to bring six of the universities in its orbit under two umbrellas.

State officials say they are concerned about student cyber safety. With so many Pennsylvania students attending classes virtually now, reports of online harassment and threats of violence are rising.

The pandemic and its impact on the economy has changed some families financial situations and affected their ability to pay college tuition. According to a survey nearly 40 percent of parents who didn’t originally plan on applying for federal aid now will. And as WLVR’s Chloe Nouvelle reports, time is of the essence.