Welcome back to school! The first day of classes was Aug. 24.

I hope you have a great 2026-27 academic year!

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Please be sure to stay connected to your child’s school this academic year. There are many new tools for parents/guardians to utilize. Staying connected and communicating will help for a successful school year.

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Whitehall-Coplay School District will be closed for the Labor Day holiday Sept. 4-7.

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Bus information has been posted to the My Ride K-12 app, which the WCSD transportation department is excited to continue using. This system will allow you to access your student’s transportation information via a mobile application. Through this application, the district will be able to contact you with any last-minute changes to your student’s busing schedule.

Visit the app to view the directions for downloading. Note: The unique information referenced in the directions is your child’s student ID number. You can access this information through the parent portal. In order to access your student’s transportation information, you will need to download and register in the app. Letters will not be mailed home.

If you have any questions regarding your student’s transportation information, call the transportation office at 610-437-4780.

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Cellphone and headphone policies will be strictly enforced during class periods. Students should be prepared to store and mute cellphones during class periods. Phones may be used in lunch, common areas and between classes in hallways. Headphones are not permitted to be used unless at the teacher’s direction.

Photography and video recording are not permitted, as per WCSD policy.

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Breakfast and lunch will remain free to all students.

Snacks and a la carte items will continue to be provided at a cost. Students should keep money in their lunch account if they plan to purchase these items.

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Students who drive to school may now request a free new parking permit for the Whitehall High School parking lot. Old parking permits from previous years are no longer valid.

Students with vehicles parked on campus without parking permits will be subject to disciplinary action. Students should access the WHS website to access a permit.

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Please be sure to update your parent contact information in PowerSchool. This information is critical for communication between you and your child’s teachers. Use the link to PowerSchool or download the PowerSchool Mobile (My Power Hub) app on your smartphone to access all parts of the PowerSchool suite.

WCSD requests the most accurate and up-to-date information for your child.

The annual returning student registration process is now open in PowerSchool. All parents/guardians are required to review and update their child’s information including emergency contacts, medical forms and district policy agreements by the start of the school year. Please complete this process using a web browser on a computer, tablet or phone rather than the PowerSchool mobile app. Visit whitehallcoplay.org and scroll down to select the PowerSchool parent portal icon, then select your student. If you have multiple children in the district, select the first student’s name tab in the top-left corner. You will need to repeat this process for each child. Next, locate the forms on the left-hand navigation menu, scroll down and click on Returning Student Update Form 2026-2027, then Review and Update where you can verify your address, phone numbers, emergency contacts and health information. Confirm your digital signature and click submit.

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If you are a teacher, PTO member, coach, student, administrator or club adviser and would like to submit any information for this school district column, email me at jamb87@hotmail.com. Please allow one to two weeks prior to an event. Put Whitehall News Columns in the subject and submit on a Sunday prior to the upcoming Wednesday press deadline.