School News

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

School board members say a lack of internal controls contributed to the problems. They say the situation is being fixed.

HNL announces winners of annual Children's Art Contest with three winners from each age group. The theme was "design your own lab coat."

Dean M. Donaher is a former teacher, principal and administrator in the Bethlehem Area School District. He'll take the helm effective July 17 at Bethlehem Catholic.

Allentown School District officials said the proposal to allow schools in industrial zones was "simply not good planning" and not safe for children.

Building projects that would address overcrowding in the Parkland School District will cost between $169 million and $391 million, according to a presentation at the school board meeting this week.

Benita Draper was the director of equity initiatives for the Bethlehem Area School District and a former elementary school principal.

Paraprofessionals can get certified for free while continuing to work in their schools.

The Parkland School Board renewed a sports medicine and school health needs agreement with St. Luke's after state Sen. Jarrett Coleman urged them not to. He suggested the health network should find better ways to spend the money.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with journalists Molly Bilinski and Phil Gianficaro.

Nancy A. Walker, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor & Industry, was in Allentown on Thursday to announce $4.2 million in Industry Partnership grants for projects statewide that will prepare state workers and high school seniors for family-sustaining jobs.

Bethlehem school board looks to take action on Feb. 26 regarding the $1,291,075 purchase of 2,500 Google Chromebooks, including styluses and chargers for each device.

To meet security and safety concerns, a security officer may be on the way to each of East Penn School District's middle Schools.

A change.org petition opposing the new mascot chosen by the Whitehall-Coplay School District has attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The mascot, named Big Z, is so named in honor of the school name Zephyr, which was also a train that once ran through Whitehall Township.

Planned upgrades include new bullpens and batting cages and many renovations throughout the park.

To help female chess players in her native Botswana, Lehigh University graduate student Besa Masaiti established a chess tournament there — the Besa Masaiti WIM Norm Chess Championship.

Five Lehigh Valley schools have rifle teams that compete in the Northeast Pennsylvania Rifle League. Says one student: “We want to get more people involved and show it’s totally safe. Sometimes, our sport gets a bad rap because of what’s going on (in the world).”

Parkland School District Social Worker Diane Irish has begun hosting office hours for the Parkland REACH Village, a gathering space and community hub of information for anyone who lives in the district.

The Allentown School Board approved updates to programs that add new language and career training options for students. Some of the changes are the result of a survey of more than 1,800 high school students and focus groups, officials said.

Allentown City Council approved a 10-year lease that will see the college pay $15,000 in rent each year and invest up to $4 million in the stadium.

Officials from the Allentown school district spoke with hesitant optimism about the benefits the state's new spending plan could bring to the district.