DOE announces plan for in-person learning for Ka‘u students
The state Department of Education on Wednesday announced its plan to resume in-person learning for students at Ka‘u High &Pahala Elementary School and Na‘alehu Elementary School as recovery efforts continue following Hurricane Lala.
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According to the DOE, “the plans are designed to reconnect students with their teachers, classmates and learning and provide greater consistency and routine as the surrounding communities continue to recover. Families and employees at both schools are receiving more detailed information directly from their schools.”
“A number of factors have affected our ability to resume instruction, including facility damage, loss of power and water service, roadway conditions and access to the campuses,” Ka‘u-Kea‘au-Pahoa Complex Area Superintendent Stacey Bello wrote in an email to the Tribune-Herald. “As those conditions change, we have continued adjusting our educational plans based on what can be safely and realistically provided for students.”
Ka‘u High and Pahala Elementary
School staff will return today and Friday to prepare the campus for students. In-person learning and student transportation will resume Monday, Aug. 31.
Power has not yet been fully restored to the campus, but the DOE is preparing to safely reopen the school Monday even if electrical service remains unavailable. Generators are on site to support the administrative office and cafeteria. School, complex area and department teams are working to ensure essential operational needs can be met, including water service, meals and other necessary services.
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Na‘alehu
Elementary
Because the Na‘alehu Elementary campus requires additional restoration work before students and staff can safely return, the DOE is preparing the Ka‘u District Gym as a temporary site for in-person learning. School staff will report to the gym beginning Friday, Aug. 28, to prepare for students.
Na‘alehu Elementary students will begin at-home learning through instructional packets today. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 2, students are scheduled to transition to in-person instruction at the Ka‘u District Gym on a rotational basis. The grade-level rotation, times and transportation arrangements are being finalized and will be communicated directly to families.
The Na‘alehu Elementary campus sustained flooding in multiple classrooms and other storm-related impacts, with floodwaters carrying rocks, branches and other debris onto the campus. Cleanup, repairs and restoration of essential services are continuing before the campus can safely resume normal operations.
“It was difficult to see the impacts to our schools and surrounding communities,” Bello wrote. “At the same time, I was encouraged by how quickly our school teams, facilities staff and partners came together to begin assessing needs and working toward recovery.”
