School News

There have been hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines triggered by BusPatrol's cameras in Allentown, along with growing backlash from local drivers who say the system is highly flawed.

The document includes details that weren't previously available to the public, including information about Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty’s paid time off, merit bonuses and tuition reimbursement benefit.

The PPL Foundation has provided CIS of Eastern PA with $425,000 in financial support over more than two decades. The partnership recently was celebrated at the Champions For Education celebration.

The $68 million, five-building expansion to the existing high school at 2700 N. Cedar Creek Blvd. will be voted on for final approval by the township board of commissioners in January.

Jaime Vlasaty will continue as chief of schools until June 2030. Critics claim she is responsible for lackluster academics, low morale and staff turnover in the district.

Parkland School District officials on Monday presented early estimates for their 2026-27 budget. It includes a $20 million deficit, and could lead to a tax increase next year.

The university is among 11 awardees throughout the state tasked with opening service centers to support small businesses in accessing capital.

Costas Alesta's motion to withdraw his guilty plea filed was denied by county judge Judge Samuel P. Murray in a one-page order filed Friday, Nov. 7, county District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta said.

The Allentown School District and the Allentown School District Foundation are coordinating the emergency food drive through Friday, Nov. 14, with help from Second Harvest Food Bank and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, introduced the bill in 2023 after a student brought a knife to Schnecksville Elementary School. Parents didn't learn of the incident until a week later.

A Lehigh Valley student has taken the top spot for a Pennsylvania poetry competition. In May, Isavel Mendoza will move on to the national finals in Washington, D.C., to represent Pennsylvania.

In June, alumni of PBS39's long-running "Scholastic Scrimmage" high school quiz show will come together for networking and a screening of a documentary to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

At the Allentown Art Museum on Saturday, Dr. James Nangeroni was gifted a painting he entered into a Crayola children's arts contest when he was a third-grade student at Dodd Elementary in 1992.

Stephen DeWeerth, professor and dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, called the endowment “a testament to the commitment of our alumni community in advancing Lehigh's mission of inspiring future makers."

Staff members also said a teachers' union representative told them they could lose their jobs if they spoke to reporters about the building challenges.

A proposed 25,800-square-foot childcare center in Salisbury Township would be named in memory of Monsignor John P. Murphy, long-time cleric in Allentown who died in 2023 at age 86.

Students have been learning online since last Wednesday. Teachers are reporting to other schools throughout the district to lead their online classrooms.

Bethlehem Area, Northampton Area and Saucon Valley will all continue sending their students to the vocational-technical school. This agreement comes after months of tense debate about the school's future.

The Whitehall-Coplay School Board on Monday accepted a letter of retirement from Director of Athletics Bob Hartman. Hartman has served in that role for 23 years. His retirement is effective in August.

The donations will go toward family engagement, peer mentoring and elementary athletics programs as a long-term strategy for preventing crime and drug use.

The Allentown School Board approved the purchase of land for a new K-8 school Thursday. School directors faced critiques of the land's price tag and the construction management firm it chose for the school project.

Superintendent Carol Birks said compliance with federal guidelines will focus on the language ASD uses rather than a complete overhaul of its programs.