Oh, nvm. It seems that those items are kept in queue until such time as someone else handles them. The number has decreased now. I can't see the benefit in showing numbers which don't represent actions relevant to the viewing user, though.

@JonEricson Just coming in on that Education question, I think the reason for closure comment being merged with the personal comment is causing the personal attacks on you. "But even so..." initially linked it in my mind (I had to re-read).

@JeremyMiller You're probably right. I'm not taking it personally though. ;-)

I wouldn't have said anything if the OP had mentioned "home school". But leaving that detail out just adds a layer of potential confusion for people who'd like to answer.

@JonEricson It's borderline a legal question or highly-localized, too. I am all for the govt leaving me alone, but how that question is phrased seems a little "challenging", per se.