Rob Manning

Restraint and seclusion are controversial practices in public schools. They are most often used on students with disabilities, and parents say they take an emotional toll.

A shooting death last week next to Portland State University in Oregon has opened a debate about whether campus police and security should be armed.

School leaders in the Pacific Northwest are scrambling this summer to deal with lead in school drinking water. Problems first surfaced after parents in Portland, Ore., asked questions about water safety following news from Flint, Mich. Now districts across Oregon and Washington are testing the water and finding higher lead levels than expected.

Rising property values in Oregon in the '90s led voters to cap property taxes. The state turned to income tax to fund its schools. But that can be unpredictable, and schools have suffered ever since.

There are huge gaps in school funding between affluent and property-poor districts. And, with evidence that money matters, especially for disadvantaged kids, something has to change.

Owner Karl Durkheimer says President Obama's gun policies, including this week's executive orders, motivate many of his customers' purchases.