Natalie Pate

The national nonprofit has distributed more than 27,500 books in the Pacific Northwest this summer as part of its 35th-anniversary celebration. The books depict families of color, same-sex parents and characters with disabilities.

| By Natalie Pate | Oregon Public Broadcasting Clicking keyboards. Heat blazing in from open windows.

District leaders said their goals are to limit bullying and a lack of focus in the classroom and improve student mental health.

Portland Public Schools will offer free breakfast and lunch every day to its roughly 44,000 students this coming school year. But advocates want this option available in every district.

Portland Public Schools announced this week that all district students will have access to free breakfast and lunch at school every day this coming year.

Portland Public’s elementary school students started the new year on Tuesday, along with sixth and ninth graders. Older middle and high schoolers will join on Wednesday.

Last school year was a doozy.

The youth development program, housed at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, teaches its participants specific skills and broader life lessons, all while finding homes for dogs in need.

House Bill 2767 laid the groundwork for Oregon to establish and support recovery schools across the state. Now, they’re serving students.

After the fatal shooting of a Salem high schooler last March — and rising concerns of gun violence in schools across the country today — Salem-Keizer Public Schools leaders say they need another layer of prevention to protect students.