Schools across Kentucky closed Friday as thousands of teachers converged on the state Capitol in Frankfort for what has become an increasingly common lobbying effort. Educators are demanding higher pay or more classroom funding in several Republican-controlled states. In Kentucky, teachers urged legislators to override Gov. Matt Bevin’s veto of a $480 million tax increase that would fund record-high classroom funding. Analysts expect the vote will be close.

Oklahoma lawmakers returned to the state Capitol for a rare Friday session to consider two bills designed to end a weeklong teachers strike over education funding. One bill would impose a tax on some internet sales, while the other would expand tribal gambling to include games with a ball or dice. Both measures could raise as much as $40 million in new revenue.

Oklahoma teachers continued their strike into a second day Tuesday, forcing three of the state’s largest school districts to close. As parents of students in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Edmond scrambled to find somewhere for their children to go during the day, churches and other groups offered free day care, and some schools offered free meals. Teacher frustration boiled over last week after Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill giving them a 15 to 18 percent raise. The striking educators are demanding more.

One student died and another suffered injuries Wednesday in what Alabama police are calling an accidental shooting. Administrators at one of the largest high schools in Birmingham are trying to figure out why the campus metal detectors failed to prevent the gun from coming into the building. Investigators have not offered details about the incident, except to say they do not have any evidence of a fight or dispute leading up to the shooting at Huffman High School just as classes let out for the day.

The shooting at a Los Angeles middle school that injured four students Thursday was an accident, police said after interviewing the 12-year-old suspect. The girl, who has not been identified, told investigators she brought the semi-automatic handgun to school in her backpack. It fired accidentally when she dropped the bag during class. The girl remains in custody at a juvenile facility and faces a charge of negligently discharging a firearm on school grounds.

UPDATE: The female student accused of opening fire in a Los Angeles middle school classroom Thursday morning, injuring four classmates, could be as young as 12, according to investigators. Police have not identified the girl or confirmed her age. The victim with the most serious injuries sustained a gunshot wound to the temple. But doctors at Los Angeles County–USC Medical Center say the 15-year-old boy has a good medical prognosis. He remains in critial condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Forgive Hawaii parents for being confused about what sex education their children are getting in public school. Sex ed programs in the tropical state use different descriptors based on money and political power—a practice that sometimes occurs elsewhere in the country as well. And Hawaii parents don’t typically have access to sex ed curriculum beyond a description posted on school websites.