Parents may want to take a closer look at the sippy cups and baby bottles they have in the house following a statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressing concern over the effects of the chemical BPA when it comes to children.

Bisphenol A has been used in hard plastics since the 1960s, and health concerns have been raised about its use in the past several years. Results from recent toxicology studies have raised concern at both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and the FDA, according to a statement.

"(Both) have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland, in fetuses, infants and young children," according to the FDA.

After health concerns were expressed about the use of BPA, new manufacturers of BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups began popping up. In 2007, Thermos introduced Foogo brand sippy cups that are stainless steel and completely BPA-free, Betsi Schumacher, spokesperson for Thermos Foogo, tells ParentDish.

Move over, Ritalin. Reefer is becoming the popular drug when it comes to treating ADHD in kids.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that marijuana is legally finding its way to the school classroom. According to the recent report, high school students are now using medical marijuana instead of Ritalin as a treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Ritalin is a stimulant prescribed to treat ADHD and, the story states, "can produce effects similar to cocaine and amphetamines."

Prescribing marijuana as a substitute for Ritalin is not without controversy. The Monitor says a study has found "the active ingredient in cannabis disrupts attention, memory and concentration – already issues for people diagnosed with attention deficit disorder." But some medical practitioners believe marijuana to be "safer than aspirin," the article quotes Dr. Jean Talleyrand as telling The New York Times.

Parents whose children are diagnosed with autism suffer more than just the emotional burdens of dealing with the condition -- they also face severe financial stress.

A study out of the Harvard School of Public Health estimates the cost of caring for a person with autism to be $3.2 million over a lifetime. According to The New York Times, more families are coping with autism than ever before and the numbers will only keep growing.

One out of 110 American 8-year-olds has been diagnosed with autism, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; that's up from one in 150 in a previous report. The numbers also reveal that boys suffer the most -- one out of every 70 has autism.

"The numbers are just amazing," Pat Kemp, executive vice president of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, tells the Times. "Unless we attack this like a national health crisis, we're going to have a huge economic crisis on our hands."

As far as recent celebrity deaths go, Eunice Brennan might not get as much attention as Brittany Murphy, Oral Roberts or Jean Simmons. But Brennan, who died last week at age 85, spent 20 years giving her attention to newborns in Mauston, Wisc., the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Brennan spent more than two decades crocheting little caps to keep newborns' heads warm. She had six children of her own and a busy schedule at the De Pere VFW hall -- while also working as a poll watcher on Election Day -- when she found out Hess Memorial Hospital (now Mile Bluff Medical Center), three hours away in Mauston, needed caps for infants.

In all, she made about 3,000 caps.

A California high school student expelled for having two shotguns in his truck -- which was parked off-campus -- is back at school this week after officials overturned the teen's punishment.

Gary Tudesko, 17, and a friend went duck hunting before school started on Oct. 26. In a rush to get to school on time, he parked the truck on a public street, which he believed did not violate Willows High School policy. According to the Sacramento Bee, gun-sniffing dogs discovered two unloaded shotguns in his truck later that day.

Willows High School administrators suspended Tudesko, who hadn't been to school since Nov. 19. The family appealed to the Glenn County Board of Education, which overturned the school's decision on Jan. 22. Both the National Rifle Association and the California Rifle and Pistol Association provided support and legal assistance to the family during the appeal.

The growing online market for lesson plans has school districts asking if the trend is ethical -- and whether or not the schools deserve a cut of the profits.

Thousands of teachers are turning to online auction sites, such as TeachersPayTeachers.com, where they can sell the classroom materials they've developed, and some are making significant profits doing so, according to a story in The Dallas Morning News.

Some school districts have policies stating that all materials developed by employees while at school are the property of the district. However, officials admit that it's difficult to enforce the rule in the Internet age.

"Web 2.0 tools have opened everything up for anyone to publish to the Web," Alice Owen, executive director of technology for Irving Independent School District, tells the News. "Teachers get many lesson plans off the Web for free right now. We will see how many people are willing to pay for things."

Bradley Cooper, who turned 16 last week, wishes to be called Ria. He's been dressing as a girl since he was 12, borrowing his mother's lipstick and clothes from his three older sisters.

His wish may soon come true, as the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust, a public health care provider, is said to have agreed to pay for his £10,000 (about $14,000) sex change operation.

Cooper would be the youngest sex change patient to date, and there is plenty of controversy surrounding the topic -- not just because of his age, but also over the fact that the NHS would pay for the procedure with tax payers' dollars.

"When there are people dying of cancer who are told the drugs they need are too expensive, it is wrong to be funding less urgent procedures like this," Mark Wallance, from the TaxPayers' Alliance, tells the Daily Mail. "Saving lives should come at the very top of the list."

The Jack Yates Senior High School boys basketball team, known as the Jack Yates Lions, was trying to break a record for most consecutive 100-point games.

On Jan. 20, with less than three minutes left, they had scored 84 points. To try and give them more time to hit the magic number of 100, Lions players began intentionally fouling the opposing team in order to stop the clock. The strategy didn't work; the final score was 94-64.

The Lions also made news earlier this year when they defeated Lee High School by a score of 170-35, breaking a Texas record for most points scored in a single game. Although the Lions were ahead 100-12 at halftime, the coach, Greg Wise, left his starters in the game so they could vie for the scoring record. The story received national attention, and on ESPN, coach Wise defended his decision.