Nobody expects a preschooler to be able to count to 1,000, but a new program offered by Spokane Public Library is helping parents and caregivers track a goal of reading 1,000 books to their children before kindergarten.

As Spokane school officials wrestle with how to best discourage vaping by students, Seattle Public Schools filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against industry leaders Juul Labs and Altria Group.

Spokane Public Schools’ decision this week to table a proposal to cite students for vaping contradicted the earlier wishes of all five of its high school principals.

The rejection of Mead School District’s $14.6 million levy left school officials in the tough position of canceling a new elementary school project and trying to win back the trust of community.

In a dramatic reversal from two weeks ago, Spokane Public Schools has backed off from a proposal to impose a fine for students who repeatedly violate tobacco laws on school grounds.

The Boys and Girls Club of Spokane County and the Central Valley School District are partnering in an effort to turn the former Keystone Elementary on South McDonald Road into a center that will house an after-school club for kids along with the district’s social services programs.

Updated results Wednesday confirmed what most people already suspected on Election Night: Nikki Lockwood has been elected to the Spokane Public Schools board and the West Valley School District budget is getting a shot in the arm.

Russ Aley was a teacher in the West Valley School District for more than a decade when failing vision forced him to give up his job. But he didn’t leave the district. He brought his passion for children to a new role – the district’s first parent engagement liaison.

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More money is needed at schools in lower-income neighborhoods to pay for more counselors, therapists and other specialists, said school district officials. “The primary driver is working to create focus in serving the whole child,” said associate superintendent Adam Swinyard, the chief academic officer for Spokane Public Schools.

Gridlock in front of Trentwood Elementary on East Wellesley Avenue in Spokane Valley has given way to orderly traffic thanks to the addition of a new parking lot and a drop-off area on the east side of the school.

Music education specialist Andrew Rumsey is perhaps the best-kept secret at the Downtown Spokane Library. He offers free music lessons to anyone who wants them, and the library even provides the instruments.

The doors, located at the northwest corner of the school, were removed this summer as construction began on a new building that will provide additional classrooms and a commons.

A reported cougar sighting prompted Riverside School District officials to “lock out” Chattaroy Elementary School. It ended after wildlife officers used dogs to chase the mountain lion up a tree where it was euthanized.