One in 10 Hawaii public school classrooms need better ventilation

Hawaii’s public schools plan to reopen fully Aug. 3 for in-person classes with 3-foot spacing among students and teachers in classrooms, although ventilation still needs to be improved in some spots.

A report on “Return to Learn” metrics presented Thursday to the Board of Education shows all schools can accommodate such distancing and that nearly 90% of classrooms statewide were “properly ventilated,” with about 1 out of 10 needing adjustments.

The department has ordered and received meters for every school to track air quality and circulation, and is procuring box fans for all 12,000-plus classrooms statewide to boost air flow, schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto told the board.

She emphasized that having kids back on campus is a priority, and schools would follow the Health Department’s core strategies against the coronavirus: hand-washing, masking and staying home when sick.

“It is critical that our students return to our school campuses where they will not only receive academic instructional support but also social and emotional support,” she told board members. “We will also be resuming co-curricular and extracurricular activities, such as athletics, band, clubs, music after-school programs and STEM programs.”

The board received written testimony from about 20 people opposing the use of masks for children on campuses, saying they are unnecessary and may even be harmful.

On May 25, Gov. David Ige lifted the mask mandate for people who are outdoors, while still recommending mask use when in large groups outside. But the public schools are awaiting further guidance from the Department of Health on that score.

“When you’re outside, where there’s lots of fresh air and we can limit the size of the gathering, is it safe for us to adjust guidance to allow students to be without a mask?” Kishimoto said. “It’s just too early for me to answer specifically until the Department of Health finishes their review.”

Depending on community spread of COVID-19, schools will be prepared to switch to hybrid or remote learning if needed. But families won’t have the same flexibility on their own to choose remote instruction led by teachers at their neighborhood schools as they had last year.

“Full distance learning will not be an option that our schools are offering for the 2021-22 school year,” Kishi­moto said. “We have limited resources, we have a decrease in our overall budget and we also have a fixed number of teachers to be able to fully reopen our schools.”

Families who prefer not to send their kids back for daily in-person schooling may enroll in charter schools such as the Myron B. Thompson Academy, which has an online curriculum, or Hawaii Technology Academy, which combines remote and in-person instruction. They may also choose to home-school their kids.

Two education advocacy groups, the He‘e Coalition and HawaiiKidsCan, urged the department to offer more remote learning alternatives.

“No one should be shutting families out of the options they believe are best for their children,” David Miyashiro, executive director of HawaiiKidsCan, testified. “The first step in upholding that value is ensuring that virtual learning remains an option for all families who want it this fall.”

Board members called for clear communication to families so they know what to expect. Kishimoto advised parents to check in with their schools. Depending on demand and capacity, she said, complex-area superintendents might consider having one school in a complex take on a cohort of distance learners.

As for facilities, the Department of Education is focusing on making sure schools are safe, Kishimoto said. As of midway through this school year, when most kids were in remote learning, the department found that 11% of the state’s 12,338 classrooms did not have proper ventilation.

The issue was greatest in the Campbell-Kapolei complex area, where 43% of classrooms fell short. Many of the schools in the Campbell- Kapolei complex are newer campuses with central air conditioning or packaged AC units. At Kapolei High, which opened in 2000, 86% of classrooms weren’t properly ventilated, while at the much older Campbell High campus, the figure was just 6%.

“Although the AC systems help circulate the air, the enclosed building format may present ventilation challenges that other schools don’t have,” said Nanea Kalani, department spokeswoman.

Electrical capacity is also a limitation at some schools across the islands, as they try to manage the load in classrooms, including air purifiers, fans and technology devices, Kishimoto said.

“This is an equity issue that I want to note,” Kishi­moto said. “While some schools can focus on instructional innovation for students, others have to focus on how to keep the electrical system from tripping.”

There are plans for 52 electrical upgrade projects at a cost of $60 million, but just eight are funded and under construction, she said. The department is also looking into re-prioritizing repair and maintenance projects to help address that need, she added.