School News

Pre-school orientation is scheduled for the week of Aug. 21.

A pretrial conference was held Wednesday in federal court stemming from Liberty High School Assistant Principal Antonio Traca's federal civil rights lawsuit against retiring Superintendent Joseph Roy and the Bethlehem Area School District.

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.

This week's Supreme Court ruling overturned 45 years of precedent. What remains to be seen is how much damage it might do to our competitiveness as a nation — and how colleges and universities can help mitigate it.

Speakers accuse public school officials, teachers' unions of trying to "sexualize children" or indoctrinating them. Some called for restricting LGBTQ books. Protestors traveled from the Lehigh Valley and beyond to stand against the Moms for Liberty's "extremism" and in support of LGBTQ people.

High school seniors in Pennsylvania would be required to fill out a form that determines eligibility for financial aid for postsecondary programs under a bill passed by the state Senate.

Public school advocates worry vouchers will divert money from public education into charters or private schools.

Michael St. Pierre will assume the position as the diocese's fifth superintendent effective Aug. 1, the diocese said in a news release

Maria Shantz was one of a group of Republicans who signed a controversial pledge to create policies around gender and rejecting "wokeness."

The center, where access was limited because of the pandemic, has recently opened up and resumed programming.

Alleged unauthorized spending sparked the concept of the possible need, and forensic audits are typically done when there are specific allegations of misconduct, according to the district's solicitor and business manager. At least one school board member voiced early opposition to the audit.

The annual school board reorganization is among several agenda items on the docket for Thursday night.

Carol Birks discussed safety, learning and retention at a town hall meeting Wednesday at Hays Elementary School.

Cedar Crest College has recently received a $1 million state grant to upgrade the turf on the school's softball field.

Students at Lehigh Valley school districts and across the state are continuing a downward trend of performing below pre-pandemic levels on state standardized tests.

Members of the group called for a review of library books and a policy banning transgender athletes, and they questioned white privilege and bias training.

The Northampton County Suicide Prevention Task Force and Bangor Area School District will come together to screen a documentary about Emma Benoit, “My Ascension.” It tells the story of her survival and “how it propelled her on a mission to use her experience to help others find hope and stay alive.”

Parkland High School will perform in Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in the school's history. The parade is the oldest in the country, dating back to 1920.

Newly-elected Lehigh Valley State Sen. Jarett Coleman has dropped a lawsuit he filed last year against the Parkland School District that sought to invalidate teacher pay raises. The trial over Sunshine Act breaches was scheduled to take place this week.

The Board has approved a contract for the services of retired Judge Emil Giordano to conduct an unspecified investigation in the Bethlehem Area School District.

A Black university student was victimized by white assailants who directed racial epithets at the student, according to a statement from the Lehigh University president.