We're planning to cover some stories this week that involve violence in schools.  (One incident led to the closing of all seven schools in a Massachusetts district.)

You might have heard about these stories on other news outlets before hearing them on CNN Student News.  When you talk about school violence with your parents or your friends, what comes up?  What concerns you the most?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

Please remember to include only your first name when commenting.

Is the U.S. economy:

Getting better

Getting worse

Staying the same

or see results

On Wednesday, you'll hear about a couple of different indicators related to the U.S. economy.  And we report on how Americans responded to a recent poll about it.

We're also doing an informal poll of our own:  Do you think the economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying the same?

CNN Student News

"Where do we go from here? We wait until Monday and see if they come to weight training."

Those were the words of Grambling State University's athletic director last week, after many of the school's football players boycotted practice and refused to play in last weekend's game, which Grambling forfeited.

On Monday, Grambling's players announced that they will return to practice and finish their season.

The university's president says the team doesn't understand the financial challenges that Grambling is facing. After watching our report on the team's protest, share your thoughts on this story here.

John Martin, Writer

Confession time:  I've never really been good at silence.  My older sister said that as a baby, I screamed until I could talk and that I haven't shut up since.

So the silent restaurant featured in Wednesday's show probably wouldn't be the best place for me to eat.  But I still thought the idea was interesting.  The only sound you're supposed to hear is that of your fork clanking against your plate.  There's no verbal discussion about the food, no verbal planning for dessert, no verbal debrief of the day's events - just breathing, chewing, and paying.

But would this be enjoyable?  Some folks dine out for the food (or because they don't want to cook); some see it as a social experience; some think it's a combo of the two.  Without the talking, do you think the meal would still be good?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

It's not something you see every day; the last time the U.S. government "shut down" was in the 1990s.  And it's up to Congress and the president to come to an agreement that would end it.

In the meantime, given the information you've heard about it and the reports on who would (and who wouldn't) be affected, we'd like to get your take on the partial U.S. government shutdown.

Carl Azuz, Anchor

Please remember to include only your first name when commenting.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. On Monday’s show, we asked high school juniors and seniors to describe their ideas on how to stop bullying. You can see some of their answers here. What do you think should be done to stop bullying?

John Martin, Writer