Register for GED/ESL Courses at Bensalem High School Thursday

Vita Education Services is holding a registration drive at Bensalem High School Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for adults interested in English as a Second Language courses or GED preparation classes.

The classes are free and held at the high school Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Potential students must pre-register for the courses in order to participate. GED students must also complete a placement exam, held on Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.

The classes are managed and staffed by teachers from Vita Education, a non-profit organization established in Bucks County in 1971 that provides free educational support for financially disadvantaged groups in the county.

Vita's programs are not affiliated with the Bensalem Township School District and were unaffected when the school board chose not to fund the district's Adult Education Community Program for the 2013-2014 school year.

The canceled programs hosted courses and activities such as knitting, stained glass art, golf and volleyball for a fee charged to participants. According to Bensalem's Community Relations Director Susan Phy, the collected fees would not be able to cover the overall costs of running the program.

"Our second session ended in May, and we did not put out a brochure for September," said Phy. "No money has been collected for the fall session."