The Lower Merion School Board will meet Sept. 14 to vote on formally accepting Jennifer Rivera's resignation. The board then has 30 days to appoint her replacement under Pennsylvania law.

Rivera, 41, of Bala Cynwyd, tendered her resignation effective Tuesday, Aug. 25, one day after she was arrested on felony theft charges. As we reported Aug. 26, she faces charges of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and access device fraud in connection with the alleged theft of $50,243 from her former employer, SMB Team, a law firm marketing agency in Bala Cynwyd.

The Sept. 14 special meeting will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Under Pennsylvania's Public School Code, the remaining board members must fill a vacancy by majority vote within 30 days. The appointee would serve until the first Monday of December following the next municipal election occurring more than 60 days after the vacancy.

It remains unclear whether the 30-day clock starts from Rivera's stated resignation date of Aug. 25 or from the board's formal acceptance vote on Sept. 14.

District spokesperson Amy Buckman told Patch on Aug. 26 that "there are steps in a process that need to be followed when a board director tenders a resignation, and the district is following those steps." The district said it would share additional details about the vacancy-filling process soon, in compliance with the Public School Code.

Rivera served as co-chair of the board's Curriculum Committee and as a member of its Facilities and Purchasing Committee. She was elected in November 2025 on a Democratic slate and was the highest vote-getter among eight candidates, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Her term was set to run through 2029.

The board last filled a midterm vacancy in August 2023, when member Shawn Mooring resigned after moving out of the district. That vacancy covered roughly three months of a remaining term. Rivera's replacement would serve significantly longer.

The charges against Rivera are not related to the school district or its finances, according to Main Line Media News. Rivera was released on $25,000 unsecured bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 2.