It's that time again.

School was back in session Monday in Lehighton Area School District. Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said, "excitement was in the air" as he visited different buildings throughout the district."I think a lot of parents were more excited that school was starting than the kids were," Cleaver said. "Our custodial and maintenance crews did a great job getting our buildings ready, and it was a great start to the year."A new salad bar debuted at the high school."We got a real positive response from the students," said Tim Tkach, director of curriculum, instruction and grants. "I think we really shocked them with that."Lehighton's school board approved the 2014-15 lunch prices on Monday night.Lunch for students is $2.10 in the elementary schools, $2.40 in the middle and high school, $3.40 for adults, and milk costs $0.55.Board member Rocky Ahner said prices are up a dime from last year.Enrollment to start the school year is as follows: East Penn Elementary, 144 students; Franklin Elementary, 262 students; Mahoning Elementary, 234 students; Shull-David Elementary, 286 students; Lehighton Middle School, 727 students; and Lehighton High School, 684 students.According to board President Gloria Bowman, 168 kindergarten students are registered in the district as of Monday, compared with 159 students at the same time last year.Looking ahead, the last day of school is scheduled for June 4, 2015.In other official action from Monday night's meeting, the board approved:• A maximum $700 expenditure out of the curriculum budget for Tim Tkach, Suzanne Howland, Charles Bachert and Craig Reichl to attend the Fall Institute "Educating Modern Learners: The Opportunities and Challenges of Schooling in the Connected World" on Oct. 14 in Hershey.• A 50 percent reimbursement, maximum $3,500, for Ellen Perkins and Dave Perkins to attend the National Honor Choir in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 26-29.• A two-year contract with the Safeway Driving School.• Contracts with Lehigh Carbon Community College to supply meals, with a $3.50 per meal reimbursement, and transportation, with reimbursement from the 21st Century Grant, to the Carbon County Shine after-school program at the Shull-David Elementary School.• An application for interest-free QZAB bonds to help pay for middle and high school renovations.• The Hartford as supplier of life and long-term disability benefits through Aug. 30, 2016.• The purchase of two 2014 Chevrolet Express passenger vehicles, at a cost not to exceed $28,000 per van, to replace two older year model damaged district used vans.• An expense not to exceed $1,600 for board members Gloria Bowman and Ahner, and Superintendent Cleaver, to attend the PSBA School Leadership in Hershey from Oct. 21-24.@Section Head:Backto classSubmit your back-to-school picturesfor a photo galleryat tnonline.com and you will be entered in a drawing for a Times News mug.