Lehighton Area School District is giving a termination intent notice to one of its employees, but withheld the person's identity at Monday night's board meeting.

Referring to the individual only by the employee number, which is 293, board President Gloria Bowman said the termination, with cause, came as a recommendation by Lehighton's administration."We can't give out the name at this point because that is a personnel issue," Cleaver said Tuesday morning.The employee has the option for a hearing on the matter and will be suspended with pay pending further action by the board.The board voted to hire John Freund at $200 per hour to represent the board during a potential termination hearing."The employee will be sent the charges against them by the district and they have the option to answer those charges in front of the administration," solicitor William Schwab said."If they choose a hearing, they would have the option to decide whether they want it open to the public or not."If the board decides to take official action on the termination, the name would be available through a Right To Know request."In other business, lunch prices are going up by a dime.District business manager Brian Feick said Monday the increase is based off a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Lunch for students will be $2.20 in the elementary schools, $2.50 in the middle and high school, $3.50 for adults."Every time they raise the price, they also raise the wage limits for families to qualify for free and reduced lunch," Feick said. "So that's a good thing."Currently, a four-person household earning less than $44,863 would qualify for a reduced lunch, while a household making less than $31,525 qualifies for free lunches.In other business involving school meals, the board approved a $95,000 transfer from its general fund to the food service fund to cover the food service contract."We're going to keep looking at this, but we've been very much improved in our collection of debt service for the food service area," Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said on Monday.The district is still struggling with collecting overdue student lunch accounts at the middle school, but Cleaver said progress is happening at the high school."At the high school it's different because you can tell them they won't walk at graduation or get their diploma," he said. "At the middle school you used to be able to hold back their report card, but now everything is online anyway. We're looking for something we can tie in."Feick said many accounts are being brought up to date because students who owe money on lunch accounts can't purchase a la carte meals, a popular choice in the cafeteria.Also on Monday, the board approved a $40,000 payment to Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services Inc. for alcohol, tobacco and other drug education and preventive services in 2015-16. The district will reimburse WVADS at $65 per hour for any community program request outside school contracted hours.Board member Rocky Ahner said the amount the district has paid WVADS has remained stagnant, but he would like to see Lehighton expand the program."We are working to extend the drug and alcohol piece into bullying prevention as well," Cleaver said.Aaron Sebelin, principal at Mahoning and Shull-David elementary schools, said WVADS has staff members come into the schools and do miniprograms in the classrooms.The same holds true at Lehighton Middle School and has expanded into schoolwide assemblies."We had former Harlem Globetrotter Corey the Dribbler come in and do a program on drugs, alcohol and bullying," said Charles Bachert, middle school assistant principal.