HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i State Department of Education announced Tuesday that school facilities will remain closed to students through April 30 based on the latest guidance and information from health officials and elected leaders that includes the Stay-at-Home, Work-at-Home Order signed by Gov. David Ige.
This stay home order has been acknowledged by Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami who added “Kaua‘i Rules” to the governor’s order that takes effect at 12:01 Wednesday morning.
Traditional in-school instruction is on hold until schools reopen. Tips and tools collected by the DOE Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design are available for the public to use at bit.ly/HIDOEVirtualLearningParentResource.
The DOE, and charter schools, will be sending out information about these and other enrichment opportunities that include online resources and printed material resources such as instructional packets. Parents and guardians are encouraged to look out for information from their child’s school and teachers.
Schools will ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers. The schools have also been working toward providing the most appropriate modifications and accommodations under the circumstances, the DOE release states.
Related services that can be provided via telepractice will be considered on a case-by-case basis for students who have qualified for these services.
When school resumes in its traditional manner, individualized Education Program and Section 504 teams will meet to determine if there was a loss of skills as a result of the extended school closure, and the need for compensatory education.
“I want to thank each and every one of the DOE’s 44,000 employees for working in new ways during these unprecedented times,” said Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto. “These are uncertain and anxious circumstances for everyone in our communities, and we sincerely appreciate your patience as our response to this health crisis continues to evolve and we make the needed adjustments for health and safety.”
The DOE will be sharing specific plans to ensure the more than 10,000 eligible high school graduates can earn diplomas. This is scheduled to be released by the end of this week.
Also expected are next-level information based on the planning work accomplished by schools, complex area, and state offices for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
On Kaua‘i, the three sites — Waimea High School, the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, and Kapa‘a High School — will be providing free grab-and-go meals for students 18 years and younger during the extended spring break period through implementation of the Seamless Summer Option program that has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Hawai‘i Child Nutrition.
The sites will be providing breakfast from 7:30 to 8 a.m., and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon for free to students, regardless of eligibility for free or reduced price meals. No meals will be served Thursday, Kuhio Day.
Parents or caregivers who pick up a meal must be accompanied by a child, according to USDA requirements.
“We remain focused on, and committed to our educational mission and we look forward to resuming instruction and a sense of normalcy as quickly as possible,” Kishimoto said.
I hope my grandchildren are educated through the summer as they are missing a huge chunk of time in the classroom.