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Lehigh Valley Teacher, Coach Sexually Assaulted Girl At Hotels, Provided Cocaine, Alcohol: DA Lehigh Valley Teacher, Coach Sexually Assaulted Girl At Hotels, Provided Cocaine, Alcohol: DA
Lehigh Valley Teacher, Coach Sexually Assaulted Girl At Hotels, Provided Cocaine, Alcohol: DA A Lehigh Valley high school teacher and head volleyball coach has been slapped with sexual assault charges and placed on admin leave by investigators who say he gave his juvenile victim cocaine and alcohol throughout meetups in hotels and parking lots. Freedom High School teacher and girls’ Head Volleyball Coach Christopher Schweikert, 27, was charged with sexual assault by a sports official, corruption of minors, and institutional sexual assault, Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck announced on Friday, Jan. 13. Schweikert, of Coplay, met his victim during her freshman year, wh…

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by Valerie Musson
Schools
Flasher Questions Girls At School Bus Stops Pennsylvania State Police Say Flasher Questions Girls At School Bus Stops Pennsylvania State Police Say
Flasher Questions Girls At School Bus Stops Pennsylvania State Police Say A man allegedly exposed his genitals and asked inappropriate questions to girls at school bus stops through Lancaster County, Pennsylvania state police say. Two girls waiting for a school bus were approached by a white middle-aged man with brown hair, a gray mustache, crooked teeth, and a thin build driving a royal blue four-door sedan at a school bus stop in Salisbury Township who asked them explicit questions before fleeing north on Narvon Road, turning right on to Red Hill Road on Wednesday, Jan. 11 around 8:14 a.m., according to the PSP release the following day.  Mu…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Shapiro Nominates Montco Superintendent For State Education Secretary Shapiro Nominates Montco Superintendent For State Education Secretary
Shapiro Nominates Montco Superintendent For State Education Secretary Governor-elect Joshua Shapiro has named Lower Merion School District Superintendent Dr. Khalid Mumin to head up the state's Education Department, the democrat announced on Twitter Monday, Jan. 9.  I’m proud to nominate Dr. Khalid Mumin, Nancy Walker, and Neil Weaver to key cabinet posts in my Administration.I’m ready to work with them to create opportunities for our children, build an economy that works for everyone, and lead our Commonwealth forward.Let’s get started. pic.twitter.com/AHFHMxwP4L — Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) January 9, 2023 Mumin called his nomination an "honor" and v…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Reading Teachers Union Treasurer Embezzled $400K, DA Claims Reading Teachers Union Treasurer Embezzled $400K, DA Claims
Reading Teachers Union Treasurer Embezzled $400K, DA Claims The woman tasked with safeguarding the treasury for the Reading teachers union had been stealing members' dues for nearly a decade, according to prosecutors.  Lisa Herbinko, the 49-year-old former treasurer of the Reading Education Association, is charged with multiple felonies for allegedly stealing $400,000 from union coffers, said Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams.  Around 2014, investigators say Herbinko began secretly making withdrawals from union accounts and depositing the funds into personal accounts belonging to herself and her young daughter. In total, offici…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Students Sing Praises Of 'Predator' PA Teacher Allegedly Busted By Vigilantes (VIDEO) Students Sing Praises Of 'Predator' PA Teacher Allegedly Busted By Vigilantes (VIDEO)
Students Sing Praises Of 'Predator' PA Teacher Allegedly Busted By Vigilantes (Video) A self-proclaimed online "predator catcher" has identified the Schuylkill County teacher suspended amid a police investigation. While Blue Mountain School District Superintendent David Helsel said only that the teacher was "the subject of a recent YouTube video," the account — LC Predator Catcher — tells Daily Voice the teacher was featured in this video that identifies him simply as "Christopher." The comment section of the video is filled with comments from former students, some of them singing his praises as an educator, others noting a strange energy about him. "He …

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Devoted Allentown Charter School Teacher, Librarian 'Battled Cancer With Elegant Tenacity,' 36 Devoted Allentown Charter School Teacher, Librarian 'Battled Cancer With Elegant Tenacity,' 36
Devoted Allentown Charter School Teacher, Librarian 'Battled Cancer With Elegant Tenacity,' 36 Tributes are pouring in across state lines for Allentown charter school teacher, librarian, and former standout college athlete Amy L. (Zdrojesky) Rivera, who died at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest on Thursday, Dec. 29 after a valiant cancer battle. She was 36. Born in Allentown, Amy always had a passion for outdoor activities like horseback riding and gardening, her obituary says. She went on to attend the University of Maine and was chosen for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Regional All-American Second Team, earning honors on the America East All-Conference First Team…

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by Valerie Musson
Schools
Anonymous Instagram User Bullying Bucks County Students, Report Says Anonymous Instagram User Bullying Bucks County Students, Report Says
Anonymous Instagram User Bullying Bucks County Students, Report Says A Bucks County high school principal is warning parents about an unauthorized Instagram account taking photos of students and mocking them online, LevittownNow.com reports.  Reggie Meadows, principal at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, told parents and staff in a letter Wednesday, Dec. 21 that images and videos of students had been uploaded to a social media page that is not authorized by or affiliated with Pennsbury School District, the outlet wrote.  Administrators were not immediately available for comment, and the district does not appear to have addressed the matter o…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Philly Elementary School Locked Down After Student Found With Gun: Report Philly Elementary School Locked Down After Student Found With Gun: Report
Philly Elementary School Locked Down After Student Found With Gun: Report An elementary school in northeast Philadelphia was locked down on Tuesday, Dec. 20 after administrators learned that a student had a gun, according to a report from 6abc.  Farrell Elementary School at 8300 Castor Avenue in the city's Rhawnhurst section went on lockdown at about 8 a.m., the outlet wrote.  The student was located and taken into custody, the firearm was confiscated, and classes resumed as normal by 9:30 a.m., 6abc reported.  Philadelphia School District does not appear to have acknowledged the incident on its official social media channels, and administrators w…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
‘She Will Live In Our Hearts Forever:’ Allentown School Worker Jimmeka Hernandez Dies, 36 ‘She Will Live In Our Hearts Forever:’ Allentown School Worker Jimmeka Hernandez Dies, 36
‘She Will Live In Our Hearts Forever:’ Allentown School Worker Jimmeka Hernandez Dies, 36 The Allentown community is mourning the loss of beloved elementary school worker Jimmeka Deloris Hernandez, aka "Meka Mouse,” who died on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 36. Born in Brooklyn, Meka graduated from Allen High School before studying early childhood development at LCC, her obituary says. Meka formerly worked at the Luis A. Ramos Elementary School in Allentown, where she received the Superintendent's Parent Award of Excellence, her memorial says. She also worked as a staff supervisor at the PPL Arena Event Center and according to her social media profile was a current paraprofessi…

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by Valerie Musson
Schools
'Cis White Male' Comments Lead To Montco School Board Member's Resignation 'Cis White Male' Comments Lead To Montco School Board Member's Resignation
'Cis White Male' Comments Lead To Montco School Board Member's Resignation A school board member in Montgomery County resigned from her post Monday, Dec. 12 after her controversial comments in a board meeting made national headlines.  In a meeting of the Upper Moreland School District board on Tuesday, Dec. 6 that was later uploaded to YouTube, member Jennifer Solot said she wouldn't back her colleague Greg D'Elia's bid for board director because she felt electing a "cis white male" would "send the wrong message." “I believe that Mr. D’Elia would make an excellent president,” said Solot, who was chairing the meeting as acting director before the members coul…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
PA Teacher, Former Court Clerk Nabbed For Allegedly Uploading Videos Of Child Porn: DA PA Teacher, Former Court Clerk Nabbed For Allegedly Uploading Videos Of Child Porn: DA
PA Teacher, Former Court Clerk Nabbed For Allegedly Uploading Videos Of Child Porn: DA A teacher and former court clerk allegedly uploaded videos and photos of children committing sex acts to social media, authorities say.   31-year-old Charles Allen Kirkland was charged by the Westmoreland County district attorney's office with five felony charges for child pornography, disseminating photos/films of child sex acts, and criminal use of a communication facility, according to court documents.  Pennsylvania state police received a Cyber Tipline Report through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children network of the activity being uploaded by a Go…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Fake Gun Locks Down Delco High School; Student Arrested Fake Gun Locks Down Delco High School; Student Arrested
Fake Gun Locks Down Delco High School; Student Arrested A Delaware County high school was briefly locked down Thursday, Dec. 8 after administrators spotted a gun in a student's backpack that turned out to be fake.  In a statement issued to parents and staff Thursday afternoon, Wallingford-Swarthmore School District Superintendent Wagner Marseille said staff at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford were informed that a student might have had a firearm in their bag.  The school locked down at around 10:45 a.m. as Nether Providence police searched the building. They arrested a student after discovering a "replica handgun" in h…

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by Mac Bullock