The rate of middle and high school students who vape is declining across the United States, with Central Pennsylvanian districts and experts seeing similar trends.
Special education costs across Pennsylvania are rising, while state funding hasn’t kept up. As a result, districts across the commonwealth are relying on increasing property taxes to cover the gap.
Central Pennsylvania’s Head Start programs plan to continue providing early childhood education and other services to low-income families despite proposed changes from the Trump administration that could significantly reshape the federally funded program.
A Harrisburg nonprofit is collecting back-to-school supplies to help hundreds of local students start the school year with the essentials they need. All You Can Inc. is holding its annual back-to-school giveaway where Harrisburg families can get free supplies for students as the cost of classroom supplies soars.
As Pennsylvania gets closer to requiring schools statewide to prohibit students from using cell phones, Central Pa. schools and advocacy groups see the benefits in a statewide school cell phone ban.
With schools out for summer break and student access to free breakfasts and accessible lunches decreasing, food insecurity is expected to rise throughout Central Pennsylvania.
Vedika Burman, a 6th grader from Central Dauphin Middle School, tied for 79th place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee last week in Washington, D.C. Vedika is the 2026 champion of the Central Pennsylvania Spelling Bee sponsored by WITF and Pennon Education. That competition involved 34 spellers from local schools and lasted 16 rounds.