Parents urge local 7th‑grade Hawaiian immersion pathway; board offers to help coordinate with DOE

Parents and educators at the Jan. 26 Pearl City Neighborhood Board meeting asked the board to press the Department of Education to create a local pathway for Hawaiian immersion beyond sixth grade.

A parent representing Wai‘anae Elementary’s community testified that the kaiapuni program currently ends at sixth grade and that families are forced to commute to Kapolei or other areas if they want immersion to continue. The speaker said the native Hawaiian population drops sharply between feeder schools and later grades and that petition efforts had produced more than 100 signatures asking for a seventh‑grade pilot.

"When there's no local pathway, families leave," the speaker said, adding that repeated requests at BOE meetings and direct outreach to the Office of Hawaiian Education produced inconsistent responses. A separate education professional urged the board to consider K–12 immersion pathways rather than piecemeal expansions.

Vice Chair Charmaine Duran told speakers the board had previously adopted a resolution supporting Hawaiian immersion and offered to submit testimony and help clarify the DOE’s process for establishing kaiapuni schools. The board asked community members to inform the board of their status in the process so the board can provide parent‑focused support and formal testimony when appropriate.

Board members asked staff and the governor’s representative to follow up; the governor’s office said it would pass the concern to DOE and coordinate where possible. The board will track next steps and encouraged constituents to provide documentation of petitions and prior contacts with DOE so the board’s advocacy can be specific and timely.

The matter remains at a request/advocacy stage; no formal action by the board was recorded beyond offering to submit testimony and monitor progress.