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School shootings are tragic occurrences that have become far too common in our culture today by many standards. In light of some of the most recent events involving school shootings in Philadelphia, New Mexico, and Colorado, as well as the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, some state legislators are considering a new approach to the problem: licenses that allow educators to carry concealed weapons onto campus. The first known school district to institute such a policy was the Harrold Independent School District in Harrold, Texas, but numerous other districts have followed suit in recent years, with other districts considering the possibility rather seriously. We'll take a closer look at the issue of guns in school and some of the districts that are thinking about taking matters into their own hands.

Current Laws

Laws vary from state to state regarding the criteria for purchasing and carrying a gun. Some states do not require a permit to purchase a handgun or long gun, nor do some states require gun owners to register their firearms. And while some states require a permit to carry a concealed weapon, others require no such permit for concealed or open carry weapons. A number of states including Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, and Connecticut have passed restrictive assault weapons laws in light of the use of such weapons in many of the most recent school

Detroit 51±¬ÁÏs are facing a serious financial crisis – and very limited options for digging their way out of the monetary hole. The District's emergency financial planner, Robert Bobb, has three possible options in front of him to solve at least some of the district's financial woes. However, none of the choices are particularly attractive, and all would require severe sacrifices by students, parents and staff to make them work. We'll take a look at the choices here as we examine how Detroit plans to muddle through large amounts of debt and revenue shortfalls in the midst of one of the toughest economic crises to hit the city in decades.

Steeped in Debt

According to a report at , Detroit 51±¬ÁÏs currently face $327 million in debt with no visible means of repayment at this time. While bankruptcy is a viable option for Detroit, the district's debt insurer, Assured Guaranty Ltd., wants the state legislature to add a no-bankruptcy agreement before the schools can take out any more short-term debt. Without the agreement, the insurer has threatened to accelerate long-term debt payments, raising the annual payment amount from $21 million to $45 million. The schools, which cannot afford this option, have been forced to look at other solutions to their financial crisis as a result.

"They're basically holding a gun to our heads," Robb told Bloomberg.

If the schools agree to the no-bankruptcy clause, Assured is willing to continue working

Children who read textbooks in school usually make an assumption that the "facts" presented in those books are accurate and verified. However, a recent flap over a particular textbook used in Virginia schools demonstrates that even reading materials in classrooms can be seriously flawed. The inaccurate textbook has since been pulled from Virginia classrooms, but questions still remain over how the textbooks entered the schools in the first place, and why they were widely used before the errors were reported and the books were removed.

Teachable Moments?

"Our Virginia: Past and Present" is a textbook published by Five Ponds Press and used by fourth-grade classrooms across the state of Virginia. In October of last year, it was discovered that this book contained some erroneous errors. Loudoun County was one of the first to find a mistake – the description of non-existent battalions of Black confederate soldiers – according to a report in the by Robert McCartney. County staff studied the book further and found as many as 12 errors. However, the county placed the books back on classroom shelves and instructed teachers to use the errors to demonstrate to students that they should be skeptical of what they read.

"It's a teachable moment," Loudoun school district spokesman Wayne Byard told the Post. He said by keeping textbooks in the classrooms, kids learn that "everybody tries their best but sometimes they don't research enough. You can't rely on a single source. You can't

How Many Politicians Send Their Kids to 51±¬ÁÏs?

Public education becomes a popular platform for politicians during election season. However, just how many of those federal legislators enjoy the fruits of their labor? According to some of the most recent figures, many public servants opt for private schools to educate their children and grandchildren. We'll take a look at some of the specific numbers to determine just how big a stake our country's politicians have in the state of our public education system today.

The Heritage Foundation

is a research and educational think tank founded in 1973. According to the organization's website, a survey conducted on members of Congress in 2003 showed that nearly half of the members sent at least one child to private school. Specific figures showed that 41% of representatives in the House and 46% of U.S. senators send or have sent at least one of their children to a private institution. That contrasts with the rest of the country, where only 10% of families send kids to private schools. This 2003 survey showed similar results to surveys conducted in 2001 and 2002, indicating the ongoing trend.

This debate from 2007 illustrates the issue of politicians supporting public schools yet sending their children to private schools.

Other data gathered by the Heritage Foundation showed the following Washington elite also exercised their private school option:

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