Sarah Mueller
Education reporterAn experienced journalist, I joined LehighValleyNews.com as its education reporter. I bring several years of media experience at public radio stations including NPR Illinois, WFSU Public Media and Delaware Public Media. I’ve covered state and local government, interviewing lawmakers, governors and congressional leaders. In my personal life, I’m a passionate animal lover, hiker and documentary enthusiast. A documentary for which I worked as a researcher, Fire in the Meadows, won first place at the 2022 Tallahassee Film Festival for best documentary short film. It explored the effects of an investor buying a local mobile home park, raising rents and forcing tenants out of their homes. Contact me at SarahM@lehighvalleynews.com or and subscribe to my newsletter here.
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District officials surveyed thousands of students who want the uniform guidelines eliminated so they can express themselves with their own clothing styles. -
Conservative Republican slates targeting LGBTQ issues and library books swept GOP primary races across three districts. Democrats and moderate Republicans who cross-filed landed victories on the Democratic ticket.
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Two of the three candidates supported by Moms for Liberty Northampton survived the primary, both being in Region I.
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The race featured two slates of Republican candidates and one Democrat. One slate of candidates took a pledge to enact policies regarding LGBTQ students and "woke" curriculum.
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The school board approved a preliminary budget Monday night. It does not raise property taxes in the 2023-24 school year.
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They have been working without a contract since last summer and say they are overworked and short-staffed.
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National issues are seeping into local races, turning elections into proxy partisan fights over race and gender.
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The four-year contract will raise salaries by nearly 4.7% in the 2023-24 school year, with additional increase each subsequent year. The school board ratified a new contract with the teacher's union, the Allentown Education Association, on Thursday night.
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The After School Satan Club met for the first time Wednesday at Saucon Valley Middle School — a little more than a week after a federal judge ordered the school district to allow three meetings by the end of the school year.
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Culture war issues are hot topics in the races for four of the nine seats on the Nazareth Area School Board up for election this year. Three incumbents are not seeking re-election.
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The district decided in October to not implement the no-cost meals
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The city removed the check box after concerns were raised over whether the question of legal status was overly intrusive and whether it could be discouraging requests.
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The center, where access was limited because of the pandemic, has recently opened up and resumed programming.
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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.
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The annual school board reorganization is among several agenda items on the docket for Thursday night.
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Carol Birks discussed safety, learning and retention at a town hall meeting Wednesday at Hays Elementary School.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A fuel spill from an overturned tanker truck prompted an evacuation in a Bethlehem neighborhood early Thursday.
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Animal response workers cared for up to 5 dogs and a cat at Nitschmann Middle School as they sheltered with their people.
