Lehighton Area School District is accepting applications for its school board vacancy until 2 p.m. Thursday.

All interested candidates must send a letter of interest with a brief background and why he/she would like to serve on the board. Also included should be a resume with an address, telephone number and email address to Lehighton Area School District, Attn: Janine Partenio at 1000 Union Street, Lehighton, PA 18235, or by e-mail to jpartenio@lehighton.org.

Interested candidates are asked to attend the Sept. 20 board meeting, in-person, for any pertinent interview questions by the board.

Wayne Wentz, who had served 14 years on the board, resigned last month, citing health reasons.

“My health has deteriorated to the point where I need to focus on it,” Wentz said in a letter read at the August board meeting.

Wentz has just over two years left on his current term. Whoever the board selects to replace him would serve until Dec. 6, according to district officials. The Carbon County Republican and Democratic parties will each select a candidate to be on the ballot in November. The highest vote getter in that election will fill the two-year term.

The last two times the board has been tasked with filling a vacancy, it deadlocked 4-4 on various candidates and the matter was sent to Carbon County Court.

In 2016, Common Pleas President Judge Roger Nanovic presided over a hearing that led to the appointment of David Krause when William Hill Jr.’s death led to a vacancy.

Two years later, a vacancy was created when Gail Maholick won both a four-year and a two-year term in November’s general election and chose to take the four-year term. Nanovic appointed Rita Spinelli to the two-year term at that time.