Elementary school kids have a lot of thoughts about lunchtime at school. One frequent complaint? They don't get enough time. Now they've got the weight of a state audit to back that up. A new state performance audit looked at whether elementary schools in Washington are providing kids the recommended 20 minutes of seat time to eat their lunch. The auditors found that almost all of the 31 schools they visited did not give that much time, and a majority of schools send kids out for recess after

The ubiquity of smartphones has become a big issue for schools and teachers. Teachers have to keep a constant eye out for students tapping away under their desks or listening to music instead of listening to instruction. Increasingly, entire school districts are adopting policies barring cellphone use in class, including the Everett school district .

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: Adds information about educator contract negotiations in Tacoma. This is a big week for the state's largest school district as it tries to reach a contract agreement with teachers and other school staff. The Seattle Education Association set a deadline of this Wednesday to reach a tentative agreement. The union represents almost 6,000 teachers, counselors, office professionals and other school employees.

It's more than two years until a law goes into effect requiring Washington elementary schools to screen students for possible signs of dyslexia. That's a reading disability that affects a lot of people — some estimates put the number as high as 1 in 5. But some teachers already are taking time out of their summer vacation to learn methods for teaching kids with dyslexia how to read, including four teachers from a school in the Highline district who are heading to a training this week.

Denise Juneau just wrapped up her first year as superintendent of Seattle Public Schools and put a new strategic plan in place. The plan has an emphasis on racial equity and serving students who are "furthest from educational justice," with a particular emphasis on African-American males. Now the school district has hired a Bellingham firm, Vega Nguyen Research, to come up with a slogan, logo and marketing materials for getting the message out.

The Puget Sound region has been grappling with a homelessness crisis, and many people are trying to understand the root causes. Frequently cited factors include a lack of mental health services, the opioid crisis, and the high cost of housing. But something that may be less understood is the way the state has tightened access to public assistance for families in poverty.

About a quarter of high school seniors in Washington and 12 percent of eighth-graders say they've been forced into kissing, sexual touch or intercourse, according to the most recent Healthy Youth Survey. The Legislature passed a law last year aimed at child sexual abuse prevention. It’s known as Erin’s Law and it’s the result of advocacy by Erin Merryn, a woman from Illinois who survived sexual abuse as a child. Washington is among 37 states that have now adopted versions of the legislation.

Seattle adopted a later start time for high school several years ago and a recent study showed that students benefited by getting more sleep. They even got better grades. Now, a group of teenagers in Tacoma is pushing for their schools to make the switch. They’ve launched a grassroots campaign that they’re calling Tacoma Sleepyheads.

Thousands of students in Washington state attend full-time online school. This fall, they'll have another option as a new virtual school, Pacific Northwest Connections Academy, opens. The British educational company Pearson will operate the school, which will be hosted by South Kitsap School District. It will initially serve grades seven through 12, with a plan to expand into younger grades in subsequent years, and will be open to students from across the state.

UPDATE, July 11: Adds information about the school board rejecting the proposal to re-establish Indian Heritage High School and the African-American Academy, as well as information about a legal challenge to the district's decision to terminate the partnership with the Urban Native Education Alliance.