School News

The free event runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13. It is open to all Allentown students, families and staff. There will be free school supplies, including backpacks, available.

The Allentown-based entrepreneurship program trains Lehigh Valley residents on how to successfully acquire and maintain rental properties.

Allentown School District appointed Alicia Knauff as acting head principal in July. She replaced Frank Derrick, who had been leading the school in an acting role for the last two school years.

Allentown's 111th annual Romper Day celebration was held at J. Birney Crum Stadium on Monday night. About 400 students who participated in the summer playground program exhibited skills including dance and calisthenics.

Allentown students took part in STEM activities, including stepping into an airplane cockpit, when Captain Barrington Irving flew into town with some hands-on critical thinking activities from his Flying Classroom.

School directors voted 5-4 Tuesday to part ways with now former Superintendent Michael Mahon, who was on administrative leave for the last five months.

The Southern Lehigh School Board will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of Southern Lehigh High School to vote on both a separation agreement and mutual general release agreement between the district and Superintendent Michael Mahon.

Allentown school directors approved the $1.14 million partnership Thursday. The agreement runs from next month to June 30, 2028.

Alicia Knauff will start as the new acting head principal of Allen on Monday. She was hired as the principal of the school's Ninth Grade Academy before being tapped shortly after for the acting head role.

Superintendent Carol Birks said she doesn't have to talk about where she lives. School directors defended Birks from social media posts questioning her residency.

It was revealed at a School Board committee meeting Monday that the board on Jan. 26 will vote on a cost-sharing agreement among the project architect, prime contractor and project manager for the investigation.

Easton's band and orchestra took an incredible trip down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl High School Band Competition at the end of 2025, dominated the competition and enjoyed a bit of Big Easy culture.

The $11 million center is slated to be finished by December. It will have community resources for student enrollment, health care and workforce development.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, has scheduled a telephone town hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, to hear concerns over the automated school bus enforcement program.

Local high school and college students — including first-generation college student biology major Rachel Apiolaza — received $1,000 scholarships from the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley and the Latino Leadership Alliance in their first year presenting the awards since a merger.

The Pennsylvania College of Technology, an affiliate of Penn State University, will provide instructor-led labs at Allentown schools to prepare students for in-demand jobs in manufacturing. The program starts this month.

The school district alerted the community about three hours after an incident involving pepper spray occurred in the upstairs cafeteria of Emmaus High School on Wednesday afternoon. Legislation that went into effect this month requires districts to alert parents, guardians and teachers of school weapon incidents.

Wilson planners tabled a decision on plans for the proposed athletic field improvements at the high school to allow time for the developer to address the borough engineer's comments.

Of the thousands of stories covered and told in 2025, our staff picked some of their favorites. They included a bald eagle looking for love in the Hellertown area and an $11 million "sky dome" planned for Easton.

Pennsylvania’s distracted driving law will take full effect in 2026, marking one of the most consequential legal shifts for motorists in years and headlining a slate of new laws set to roll out across the Commonwealth.

With the new year comes a new season of high school musicals, as hundreds of student performers begin rehearsals, hoping for a nomination at the 24th annual Freddy Awards.

Shiv Patel, 18, has spent his winter break in Ahmedabad, India, leading robotics workshops for elementary school students.