School News

More than 350 young students throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley participated in a mural painting event at Lehigh Valley Children's Center in Allentown on Thursday.The completed mural will appear on an exterior wall of the new Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown. The center is slated for a May 22 opening.

The Northampton County District Attorney’s Office and Lower Saucon Township police have announced additional charges in connection with bomb threats made in the school district last week.

East Penn administrators pushed for a slate of new hires to the district, making permanent temporary positions that were created from COVID relief funding.

Raise taxes, dip into the fund balance, cut expenses — or a mix of all three to balance the budget for the incoming year? Bethlehem school district officials will make the final call in June.

Lehigh University's Dr. Larry Snyder has taken a lifelong love of word puzzles to the next level by becoming a New York Times-grade crossword constructor.

The Northampton County District Attorney's Office says charges have been filed in juvenile court against a girl in relation to bomb threats made in Saucon Valley School District this week.

Lower Saucon Township police say they once again found no evidence to corroborate a threat made Wednesday night. It was the second reported threat that prompted a second-straight day for closing the schools.

The three-hour festival highlights 12 short films by students from the university's film and television department.

The Lower Saucon Township Police Department has requested any information be submitted through its Crimewatch Tipline at lowersauconpolice.org or by calling the department at 610-317-6110.

Asst. Superintendent Timothy Chorones on Tuesday gave the Parkland School Board a presentation about staffing the district may need to add to next school year’s budget.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Easton Area Community Center’s St. Anthony’s Youth Center received state grants to support violence prevention and out-of-school programs. The $1.1 million in funding will enhance community efforts to reduce violence and grow youth development initiatives.

Shapiro highlighted his administration's historic investments in K-12 public education in the last two years before his budget address in the first week of February.

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 in Allentown School District voted Thursday to join Teamsters Local Union #773. They hope the Teamsters can help them negotiate a better contract.

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.