School News

The Southern Lehigh School Board will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of Southern Lehigh High School to vote on both a separation agreement and mutual general release agreement between the district and Superintendent Michael Mahon.

Allentown school directors approved the $1.14 million partnership Thursday. The agreement runs from next month to June 30, 2028.

Alicia Knauff will start as the new acting head principal of Allen on Monday. She was hired as the principal of the school's Ninth Grade Academy before being tapped shortly after for the acting head role.

Superintendent Carol Birks said she doesn't have to talk about where she lives. School directors defended Birks from social media posts questioning her residency.

The Lehigh Valley’s James Lawson Freedom School is a six-week summer program that uses a multicultural literacy curriculum and an intergenerational teaching model.

Alicia Knauff is poised to take over as the acting head principal of the high school just months after she was hired as the first principal of Allen’s Ninth Grade Academy.

The district will keep the building and surrounding property with the intention of reopening the school at a later date that has not yet been determined.

Lehigh has been hosting SSP’s International’s Summer Science Program this summer. During the five-week course, students get hands-on experience completing college-level research while getting a feel for campus life.

Aryash Shyam, a rising eighth-grader at Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School, created the GreenBeam to kill weeds with a laser. The project got him named the Pennsylvania State Merit Winner in the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

The state Office of Open Records has ordered the Allentown School District to release records connected to BusPatrol, the contractor responsible for administering the district’s stop-arm camera enforcement program.

The school was designated with a state Targeted Support and Improvement designation due to lagging performance by its cohort of economically disadvantaged students. Officials laid out plans to improve the issues present.

The new makerspace at Slatington Elementary School will help students learn STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) skills. It will primarily be used by an after school program called Schools & Homes In Education, or SHINE.

The Whitehall-Coplay School Board approved a slew of new personnel, including full-time teachers and substitutes, along with day-to-day subs, at Monday's meeting.

Easton councilman-elect Frank Pintabone is hosting a rally on Sunday to help families and kids get ready to return to school, offering information, access to administrators and instructors, free supplies and fun activities.

House Education Committee Chair Peter Schweyer said Level Up funding should be released immediately.

Members of the Lehigh University football team on Wednesday were addressed by six retired members of the U.S. Special Forces, four of whom parachuted onto campus. The veterans spoke about the importance of teamwork, accountability, goals and commitment — traits that apply to football, the military and life.

A bill in the state Legislature proposes to fix the problems that have put a pause on enforcement in places like Allentown and Bethlehem. And the program will expire in October unless new legislation is passed.

Allentown and Bethlehem Area school districts both get Level Up funding, which is on hold until lawmakers approve a fiscal code determining how the funds are spent.

Via of the Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem's nonprofit, has been awarded $157,750 in tax credit funds from 14 local businesses through the EITC program.

The professionally-oriented programs align with the current and future needs of the job market, according to Moravian University officials.

Evelyn Santana was appointed in January to fill Nick Miller's vacant seat on the board. Miller was elected to the state Senate.

The In-State Level I Certificates now take about two to four weeks to process, which is a 10-week reduction since last year.