Lahaina schools prepare for students to return with health and safety guidance

Dr. Rebecca Winkie, area superintendent of the Hāna-Lahainaluna-Lānaʻi-Molokaʻi Complex, sent a letter on Oct. 6 to parents and guardians of students attending Lahaina schools to provide information about the reopening plans.

She wrote that extensive testing of air, drinking water and soil quality have shown the campuses are safe for students to return after fall break. Lahainaluna High School students will return Oct. 16, Lahaina Intermediate students on Oct. 17 and King Kamehameha III School and Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena Elementary on Oct. 18. 

Students and staff from King Kamehameha III will be sharing campus facilities with Nāhi‘ena‘ena until a temporary school site at Pulelehua opens.

High-quality tent structures are being installed at Nāhi‘ena‘ena to add classroom spaces that are equipped with air conditioning and wooden floors. 

The temporary bus routes from West Maui to designated schools in Central and South Maui ended Friday.

Families planning to keep their children enrolled in other Maui schools after Fall Break will need to make alternate transportation arrangements. 

Beginning Oct. 16, the following shuttle-type bus stops will provide transport to and from the three Lahaina campuses: Kapalua Airport (Nāpili-Honokōwai), Whalers Village (Kāʻanapali), Kai Hele Ku St./Haniu St. (Launiupoko), Kalama Park (Kīhei) and War Memorial Gym (Wailuku). 

Parents and guardians need to complete this form by Sunday, Oct. 8, to the school district know their plans for their children.

For families opting to return to the Lahaina schools, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education has developed health and safety guidance in consultation with the state Department of Health. It outlines actions schools will take based on air quality readings from particulate matter sensors. The Department is also working to revise the schools’ Emergency Action Plans to address alternate access routes and exit paths should a mass evacuation be necessary. 

Community organizations will be providing keiki programming during fall break and the HIDOE is hosting an ‘ohana resource fair at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa Kā‘anapali on Oct. 12 from 2-5 p.m. 

We appreciate your continued patience and support during these past two months and look forward to welcoming your keiki back to our Lahaina schools. For more information, call 808-727-6880 or text SUPPORT to 808-736-1427.