Federal

When students return to Lava Ridge Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, next week after winter break, everyone will be able to get free breakfast and lunch, regardless of whether their families have applied.

Ballot measure proposes requiring any school receiving public funds to follow the same standards that traditional public schools must follow and guaranteeing 3 and 4-year-olds universal access to pre-K.

A teacher unable to read books to her fourth-grade students without seeking permission. A pastor worried children will encounter graphic sexual material in the titles waiting on classroom shelves. A superintendent fired in part, he said, for refusing to yank books out of the schools.

A federal grand jury is investigating how contracts were awarded. Four detailed subpoenas have been issued this year seeking phone records, emails and calendar entries of as many as 16 state employees.

Talking about schools is a reliable applause line for Republican candidates. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, former President Donald Trump got a roar of approval when he talked about race and sexuality in schools.

Midwest City-Del City Public Schools typically has its federal spending plans approved by the state by the end of September, Superintendent Rick Cobb said. It’s usually a quick process after that to receive federal reimbursements, which support employee salaries, teacher training and extra resources for students.