School News

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.

Catchy music, bowties, dresses, and smiles light up the auditorium of William Allen High School for a Latin dance-off.

Lafayette Junior Remy Oktay flew a Pipistrel Alpha Electro about 500 feet above Fisher Stadium on Saturday.

Allentown School District is working to improve its students' busing experiences after the first few weeks of school presented transportation challenges.

Bethlehem Area School District celebrated the 100th anniversary of the building which once housed the historic Edgeboro Elementary School on Saturday, with hundreds of teachers, administrators, staff, and alumni showing up to share stories and check out artifacts from their pasts.

Allentown School Board approved the contract Thursday. Members of the Allentown Federation of Paraprofessionals, Local 1716, ratified the contract Wednesday in a 56-21 vote, with two abstentions.

Families who pay tuition for schooling are on the receiving end of more than $200,000. The Bridge Educational Foundation is giving scholarships to those who meet the income qualifications at two area schools.

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 in Forks Township celebrated the grand opening of Colonial Cafe 71, a coffee shop which helps teach employment and life skills.

Easton Area School District officials stated an agreement to improve Vanderveer Park may be up for a vote at their September 24 meeting, in addition to the board considering improvements at Paxinosa to establish a walking path.

Superintendent Jack Silva will work to improve academic achievement and attendance this school year. He also spoke about his goals for the next few years.

Robert Steckel became superintendent of the Whitehall-Coplay School District in 2021. “I’ll have more to say at a later meeting, but I am here to assist the board with the search process and ensure that a smooth transition occurs to whoever the successor is," he said.

In appreciation for the early intervention services he received at Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Nazareth Area High School junior Brody Muthard, 16, has chosen to build a playground there for autistic children for his Boy Scout Eagle Scout project.

Over the next five years, Muhlenberg Inside-Out will collaborate with Promise Neighborhoods of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Valley Technical Institute on re-entry initiatives for people returning home from jail or prison.

Governor Josh Shapiro came to a growing district in the Lehigh Valley — East Penn School District — to celebrate an increase in public school funding through the 2024-25 Pennsylvania state budget.

Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, said bad actors like Russia are abusing their place in the world order. But until a viable alternative exists, responsible citizens must engage in systems like the U.N. to work toward a better future.