Lawmakers approved $250,000 for schools to test out ways of ending the distraction caused by cell phones in the classroom.

One parent said her daughter was targeted on TikTok a month after teachers fell victim to an online harassment campaign. She said the Pennsylvania district’s response was lackluster.

About a decade ago, Gemayel Keyes started his career as a bus attendant in the Philadelphia School District and later became a paraprofessional in the classroom. Today, Keyes is a special education teacher at Gilbert Spruance Elementary School in the city’s Northeast section.

For the first time, Pennsylvania schools with on-site wells have been required to test drinking water for PFAS. Some rely on private wells because they are far away from public water.

For the school year starting in the fall of 2025, the calendar will be extended beyond the traditional dates for the 20 pilot schools. Keeping schools open all year will cost more money and will require air conditioning in a district where many schools do not have it.

State funding for high school wellness health has remained stagnant, and there’s no financial support to expand centers in elementary schools.