School News

Not long after being moved from Harrison-Morton, Allentown middle-schoolers situated at St. Francis School will be split and sent off to other buildings due to a mechanical issue.

The Parkland School District's board approved a comprehensive plan Tuesday, laying out the district's priorities for the next three years.

Bethlehem Area School District's board approved $47.6 million in contracts Monday to build the new Fountain Hill Elementary School — coming in nearly $3 million under budget.

In his latest budget proposal, Governor Josh Shapiro wants to allocate nearly $500 million to chronically underfunded school districts — and that includes several districts in the Lehigh Valley. But lawmakers have concerns around the fairness of the funding distribution.

H.B. 827 was proposed by State Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton. The bill aims to establish a tutoring program in which high school students could receive academic credit for being tutors

Northampton Area School Board is discussing how it will balance its budget this year and in coming years. Solutions include tax increases and the postponement of the Moore Elementary project.

Southern Lehigh Superintendent Michael Mahon remains on administrative leave after the school board president publicly criticized his performance.

Northampton Area Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik will no longer retire at the end of this school year like he planned. The superintendent said it's not the right time for him to leave the district.

Allentown School Director Lisa Conover first joined the board in late 2017 and was re-elected in 2021. She will not run for re-election in the 2025 cycle.

After a maintenance issue closed Harrison-Morton Middle School for repairs in mid-February, students and staff learned virtually for eight days. Last week, they returned to in-person learning at temporary sites throughout Allentown.

Joe Shields has served in the role before, and will now do it again until December 2025.

Wilson Area Schools' board of directors voted unanimously Monday to approve Harrison Bailey III, principal of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, as the district's new superintendent.

The Wilson Area School Board will vote Monday on appointing Harrison Bailey III as the district's new superintendent. Bailey has been principal of Liberty High School in Bethlehem for 12 years.

Wilson Area School District's second annual Family Computer Science Night welcomed hundreds of students to learn all about computers, AI, robots, and the future careers they could have in the field on Thursday evening.

The Allentown nonprofit is gearing up to break ground that would add around 6,000 square feet to its art school located at 510 Linden St. The state awarded $1 million through an LSA grant to the project, which is expected to cost around $5.5 million.

City Center is planning to overhaul the former Allentown State Hospital property with hundreds of new homes, offices, a school and more.

The policy would outline which AI tools are allowed for student and teacher use. It will be considered at the next regular board meeting Dec. 19.

A local youth sports nonprofit organization said it couldn't afford the $200-a-day fee to rent gym space for a basketball program. Now, some school directors want to waive fees for small community groups.

Allentown school directors elected the board president and vice president for 2025. They will serve a one-year term in their roles.

Allentown School District will receive a state review next week regarding its federal pandemic relief funding. The new policy was created to avoid a citation.

Co-sponsored by the Whitehall-Coplay School District and the Zephyr Pride Foundation, the “Shop with a Cop” program teamed 23 children from less fortunate backgrounds with 26 members of law enforcement as they shopped for clothing or toys for family members.

Superintendent Carol Birks spoke about ASD's successes over the last year and the district's path forward. She invited partners to get more involved in supporting students.