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 Allentown School District said the STREAM Academy at the new science center at Eighth and Hamilton streets will be the first non-charter, non-private, theme-based school in the Lehigh Valley.
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Allentown school board is considering whether Raub Middle School would benefit from a $1.2 million grant where several community groups would work with at-risk middle school students over two years, under a proposed plan.
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The Lehigh Valley is under a code red alert. Here's what you should know about Thursday's municipal and school district activity cancellations and reopenings.
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The Bethlehem Area School District plans to appoint Maureen Leeson as assistant superintendent and chief academic officer, to take the place of Jack Silva, who will be the next superintendent. Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP, said the district should have hired a Black candidate.
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The students get to study a master and work to produce art inspired by his or her genius
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State House Democrats approved adding $1.7 billion more education spending, including more money to the poorest districts. The final budget will be negotiated with Senate leaders and the governor's office.
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Some parents and residents are asking schools to take books off library shelves. Others want a parental consent policy for children to take out some books.
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The nonprofit Community Action Lehigh Valley has worked for about two years to buy Cleveland Elementary School so it can turn into space for area youth.
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The 21st Century program is to help students with academic support and art and music enrichment.
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The program started with 60 students in 2019, but the numbers have fallen off in the wake of the pandemic.
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The school board will develop and vote on a new dress and grooming policy next for the 2023-24 school year.
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Shapiro did not answer a question about whether he supports more Level Up money for the state's poorest school districts.
