State House Schools Working Group recommends updating campus evacuation plans, monitoring health risks following Maui fires

Emergency evacuation plans for individual public schools are not easily accessible and need to be made available for public feedback, the state House Schools Working Group recommended in a draft report released this week.

The working group about schools is one of six bipartisan panels the House formed to evaluate specific topics related to the Lahaina wildfires and recommend appropriate legislative action in the 2024 legislative session which begins in January.

In the first of its eight recommendations released Wednesday, the Schools Working Group said the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education needs to have a communication plan in place for evacuations, which should be shared with all students, parents, guardians, and staff at the beginning of the school year on each school’s website and social media pages. The panel also recommended that a copy of the school evacuation plan be sent home to parents and guardians.

The panel also recommended that:

• The HIDOE and the Department of Health create a pre-existing protocol to monitor and disclose potential health risks at school sites and facilities.
• The HIDOE create a process to quickly hire or reposition HIDOE personnel to accommodate distance learning and learning alternatives better.
• The Legislature continue efforts to expand the number of mental health professionals within the state to serve students in times of crisis adequately.
• The HIDOE monitor traffic congestion around the reopened Lahaina schools and take action to relax increased traffic to the West Maui Lahainaluna Road.
• The Hawaiʻi High School Athletics Association craft guidelines for waiving restrictions for student-athletes impacted by a disaster.
• The HIDOE develop and enforce regulations and guidelines for fire-resistant landscaping around school buildings and ensure that fire-resistant materials are used in the construction and renovation of school buildings.
• The department maximize the use of federal funds by reviewing which programs best fit school needs and consider applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation funding to spend money to reduce the risk of natural disasters.

The Schools Working Group comprises Co-Chairs Reps. Justin H. Woodson and Jenna Takenouchi, along with state Reps. Mark J. Hashem, Sam Satoru Kong, Trish La Chica, Lisa Marten, John M. Mizuno, and Elijah Pierick. The purpose of the Schools Working Group is to evaluate the strategies utilized to accommodate displaced students and staff to return to school.

The next Schools Working Group meeting will convene at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16 in conference room 309 of the State Capitol.

Provide your input on working groups’ reports

House Speaker Scott K. Saiki announced that six House Interim Working Groups draft reports were available for public review on the Hawaiʻi State Capitol website Wednesday afternoon.

“Over the past eight weeks, each working group has collaborated with federal, state, and county agencies, and community stakeholders to outline key issues and recommendations for the upcoming legislative session,” Saiki said.

“We encourage the public to review the draft reports and participate in meetings to offer input directly to the working groups,” Saiki added.

The groups include Wildfire Prevention, Shelter, Schools, Jobs and Business, Environmental Remediation, and Food, Water, and Other Supplies. Each group was assigned to produce a preliminary report by Nov. 1, 2023 and deliver a final report by Dec. 15, 2023.