School News

Commonwealth Charter Academy, a large, public, cyber charter school for all school-age children, plans to convert a nearly 47,000-square-foot, one-story building into office space for teachers and staff at 2200 W. Broad St.

Critics of the hiring process argued for a superintendent search instead of a direct appointment. Others said Karen Trinkle had more than proven herself ready to lead, and a search would be lengthy and costly.

Planned to open to students for the 2027-28 school year, the roughly $59 million project will go up on the same land as its predecessor facility, which dated back to the 1930s.

School directors voted 5-2 to approve Ethan Ake-Little’s resignation and settlement agreement. His resignation takes effect Aug. 31.

Southern Lehigh school directors appointed Karen Trinkle as chief of schools. They also approved a settlement agreement with Ethan Ake-Little, the HR director who filed discrimination and retaliation complaints against the former superintendent.

Ethan Ake-Little has been suspended with pay since June while the district investigated allegations about his job performance. Ake-Little previously filed discrimination, retaliation and fraud complaints against the former superintendent.

Additional cleaning and air quality testing remain underway at Sheridan and Ritter elementary schools, Allentown School District said in an update Sunday.

School directors are scheduled to vote Monday on whether to promote Assistant Superintendent Karen Trinkle to chief of schools. The proposed five-year contract comes a month after school directors voted to part ways with the previous superintendent.

Northampton Area School District’s inaugural Summer Career Mentorship Program exposed 50 high schoolers to careers in manufacturing, interior design, healthcare and more.

In an email, Allentown School District said mold spores were found in several elementary school classrooms. Remedial action has been taken, the district said in a release, and the classrooms will be tested ahead of the first day of school.

Bethlehem Area School Board approved 2024-25 academic action plans for seven schools that the state Department of Education has declared are in need of performance improvement and support.

Only 12 community colleges in Pennsylvania were awarded a total of $33 million in grants to go toward upgrades. Two schools in the Lehigh Valley were on the receiving end of that.

Bethlehem Area School Board members Emily Schenkel, Winston Alozie and Kim Shively, as well as board President Michael Faccinetto, were celebrated Monday for their five- and 15-year tenures.

Teamster Local 773 Clerical and Secretarial Employees ratified a tentative agreement with the school district. It must be approved by the Bethlehem Area School Board to take effect.

State and local lawmakers on Thursday talked up a $25 million program to install solar power at Pennsylvania schools. That program could be implemented at Allentown public schools.

On Thursday, PennDOT’s pedestrian education and traffic enforcement operation with the Bethlehem Police Department had pulled over at least six cars by the half-hour mark. It's both the pedestrian and driver's responsibility to navigate roadways safely, PennDOT officials said.

The driver of a car that hit a school bus head-on Wednesday crossed a double-yellow line and caused the collision, police said Thursday.

Teamster Local 773 Clerical and Secretarial Employees reached a tentative agreement with Bethlehem Area School District on a new contract.

Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast. She'll speak about the media in today’s society on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem.

Fourteen Executive Academy Charter School students and a driver were on the school bus, Bethlehem Area School District said. It happened shortly after 2 p.m. on East Fourth Street in South Bethlehem.

East Penn School District approved a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with its teachers union after extensive negotiations stemming from the association rejecting a proposal in July.

About 40 Bethlehem Area School District secretaries and supporters attended Monday's school board meeting, following their first day of striking for a contract.