Charter Arts Mission Statement
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts provides a unique environment that fosters a creative academic approach to learning and a development of talent in the arts. Built on passion, discipline and a commitment to excellence this integrative educational experience inspires all students to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish.
READ THE CHARTER ARTS 2023-2024 SCHOOL PROFILE
Charter Arts Student Body Profile
The students who attend Charter Arts come from over forty school districts from a ten-county region in eastern Pennsylvania.
School Year 2022/2023
Our students represent 46 individual Pennsylvania school districts.
Charter Arts’ student population for the 2020-2021 school year is 563 (as of September 20, 2022), with a high level of diversity.
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts is fully accredited by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education.
To read the full School Profile, which includes: graduation requirements, grading scale, SAT scores, graduate profile, course offerings and a representative list of colleges and universities enrolling Charter Arts students:
Student breakdown by county– 2022-2023
** In addition to the counties represented by the charter below, in the past, students have also hailed from Susquehanna, Lackawanna, Philadelphia, Luzerne, and Lebanon counties.
County | Number of Students |
---|---|
Northampton County | 212 |
Lehigh County | 226 |
Monroe County | 35 |
Bucks County | 40 |
Berks County | 10 |
Montgomery County | 6 |
Carbon County | 7 |
Schuylkill County | 1 |
Pike County | 1 |
Beaver County | 1 & Lancaster County 1 |
Is Charter Arts a Public School?
Charter Arts, opened in 2003, is an audition-based public charter school and celebrates its nineteenth year as one of the most respected high schools for the arts in the nation. More than 2,000 Charter Arts graduates are now making a positive impact on our community, our nation and our world.
What is a Charter School?
Charter schools are elementary or secondary schools in the United States that receive public funding but operate independently. Charter schools were created to provide innovative curriculum and empower parents to have a choice in their child’s education.
On June 12, 1997, The Pennsylvania Senate passed Bill No. 123 which allowed for the establishment of charter schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
After developing the curriculum and submitting a charter application to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts (now named the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts) opened its doors in 2003.
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) is held to obligations and responsibilities with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) like a traditional public school. Charter Arts students are assessed like other Pennsylvania students through Keystone Exams (and prior to 2013, the PSSAs). Charter Arts teachers use PA Common Core Standards to drive their curriculum planning. The Student Performance Profile (updated to PA Future Ready Index in 2018) for the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts is posted with PDE just like the traditional public school.
A charter school’s charter is approved by its sponsoring district(s). A school’s charter defines the school’s mission and the implementation of that mission. The sponsoring districts for Charter Arts are the Bethlehem Area School District and the Northampton Area School District. These two districts renew the charter every five years. Northampton Area School District renewed the Charter Arts charter in 2022, and the Bethlehem Area School District renewed the Charter Arts charter in 2017 (the new charter renewal process is in progress for 2023).
Charter schools receive public funds from the sending school district of a child who chooses to attend. The student’s sending/home school district utilizes a funding formula developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (form 363) and can deduct more than 20 categories of expenditures from their budget that are not passed on to charter schools. Home school districts may deduct for services such as Nonpublic School Programs, Adult Education Programs, Facilities Acquisition, Construction, Improvement, Community / Junior College Programs, and Student Transportation Services.
Charter Arts is an independent charter school, it is not affiliated with any other charter school. Charter Arts is a non-profit organization.
Mission & History
THE MISSION
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts provides a unique environment that fosters a creative academic approach to learning and a development of talent in the arts. Built upon passion, discipline and a commitment to excellence, this integrative educational experience inspires all students to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish.
THE HISTORY
Nineteen years ago, the dream to create a high school for the arts in the Lehigh Valley came true. After developing the curriculum and submitting a charter application to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts received charter approval shortly after the Pennsylvania Senate passed Bill No. 123 on June 12, 1997 ,which allowed for the establishment of charter schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A group of community leaders and educators searched for a suitable building to house the school which was found on East Broad Street in Bethlehem. The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts then officially opened in September 2003 with 267 students studying dance, theatre, vocal and instrumental music. Young people with a passion for the arts traveled from a twelve-county region across eastern Pennsylvania to experience an extraordinary education.
Students found themselves embraced by a school that allowed them to be who they are; a place where being an artist was celebrated.
Right from the start, the school introduced special traditions that would impact students for years to come. One very cherished tradition was receiving a rose on the first day of school.
In 2004, the school expanded its curriculum and added two new majors, visual arts and figure skating.
By 2012, the student body had doubled to over 460 students. The school also began celebrating its ten-year anniversary and looking forward to the future, with a new name that would better reflect the current scope and future expansion of programs. The school became the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts). The school also began to outgrow the space at East Broad Street. That same year, the Charter Arts Foundation was formed and plans to build a new facility in the heart of South Bethlehem’s arts district began.
THE NEW SCHOOL FACILITY
In August 2015, Charter Arts moved into its new facility at 321 East 3rd Street.
Charter Arts School Policies
Policies:
- ALL BOARD POLICIES
- Anti-Bullying Policy
- Admission of Students Enrollment Process
- Child Find and Public Outreach Awareness
- Enrollment Policy
- FERPA Policy
- Keystone Exam Policy
- Address all Open Records/Right to Know Requests to: Theresa Vinci, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, 321 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015, (Fax) 610-868-1446
- Open Records Policy
- Temporary Medical Excuse Policy
- Temporary Medical Excuse Application
- Incident Report & Complaint Form
- FFCRA_Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- Resolution on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- ARP ESSER Information
School Safety
Charter Arts Safety Committee
Mission Statement: To increase safety awareness in the school through communication and education, to provide a formal mechanism for handling safety issues and concerns, and to create the safest school environment possible.
Safety Committee Members:
- Jessica Diana
- Brian Filchner
- Griffin Girard
- Lisa Girard
- Robert Ippolito
- Rich Janowski
- Bob Lembach *
- Celine Lembach *
- Jennifer Levernier
- Erin Meehan-Mariano
- Anthony Parra
- Cheryl Schurz
- Catherine Tappert
- Theresa Vinci
- Kim Weiner
- Student Representative
*Charter Arts’ on-site security agency is Executive Security Services (ESS). ESS works in partnership with the Bethlehem Police Department and local resources to monitor and support the school with all security matters during school hours and at all events.
The school conducts fire/evacuation drills monthly. The school also conducts several lock down drills throughout the school year.
In the event of an emergency, the school currently uses the following color-coded safety actions:
“Hold in Place” (Green/Yellow) This restricted movement action might be called for an incident such as a medical hold to ensure privacy for the individual experiencing a medical event, etc. Instruction takes place as usual in the classroom, no movement is allowed in hallways until the action is released. Parents/guardians will not be informed of Green or Yellow “Hold in Place” actions. If an extended hold is used then parents/guardians will be informed of the reason for this extended hold.
“Evacuate”- This action might be called in the event of a fire, etc. Students and staff will evacuate to the school’s designated evacuation location.
“Lockdown” (Orange/Red) This action might be called when there is a suspected or imminent threat to the school community.
For more information about the reunification process: