Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) Superintendent Christina Kishimoto advised parents and guardians that public schools' in-person learning will be implemented for the next school year, which will start on Tuesday, Aug. 3.
In her letter, she assured parents that the safety of students and school staff is a priority, according to the Hawaii State Department of Education.
“All of our high schools have been paired with health care providers to offer vaccinations to interested students and families, and we are now focusing on our middle school campuses,” Kishimoto told Honolulu Civil Beat. “Additionally the department is finalizing plans for weekly COVID testing at select pilot schools to further contain spread in our school communities.”
The outgoing superintendent underlined that there has been no transmission of the virus directly within any DOE facilities, which has been accomplished because of the safeguards and precautions in place.
Apart from vaccinations and weekly testing, the safety protocols will be continuously implemented, such as consistent mask-wearing, proper hand hygiene, and staff and students who are not feeling well will be instructed to stay home. Health guidance, Kishimoto said, has allowed elementary schools an opportunity to increase in-person learning in the past months.
The resumption of full campus learning will include extracurricular activities, including youth sports.