Lahaina Schools to Shut Down to Commemorate Fire Anniversary

The Board of Education has decided that Lahaina’s four public schools will be closed on Aug. 8 to observe the first anniversary of the Maui wildfires.

On Aug. 7, students at King Kamehameha III Elementary, Princess Nahienaena Elementary, Lahaina Intermediate, and Lahainaluna High School will commence classes as scheduled. However, incoming Lahainaluna High School freshmen will attend campus orientation a day early on Aug. 6.

These four schools will resume regular operations on Friday, Aug. 9.

The closure decision for Aug. 8 by the board comes after a Maui County Council resolution urged the Hawaii Department of Education to push back the start of the school year by a week for all Maui schools to avoid coinciding with the wildfire anniversary. While the council approved the resolution last month, concerns were raised about the logistical challenges of starting classes a full week later than planned.

Superintendent Keith Hayashi acknowledged that not all families may be able to take the day off on Aug. 8. However, he stressed the importance of commemorating the fires’ anniversary with loved ones for both staff and students. Efforts are being made to provide resources and services to assist families unable to secure childcare on that day.

Hayashi highlighted the department’s commitment to students’ academic well-being, mentioning additional behavioral health specialists available on school premises. In his written request to the board, he also addressed the potential staffing difficulties if schools stayed open on Aug. 8 due to personal leave requests by employees.

To tackle concerns about students’ academic progress, King Kamehameha III Elementary Principal Ian Haskins noted that the school has offered summer learning opportunities to help students catch up on missed instruction from the previous year. Addressing learning losses will remain a priority in the upcoming academic year.

King Kamehameha III Elementary students faced significant disruption to their academic year after their campus was destroyed beyond repair in August last year, missing nearly a third of the year.

Maui Preparatory Academy has adjusted the start of its school year to mark the one-year anniversary of the fires, moving the beginning of classes to Aug. 9 from the originally planned date of Aug. 7.

Following requests from Lahaina teachers for more scheduling flexibility and mental health resources following the wildfires, the DOE announced earlier this week that employees can donate leave days to teachers who lost their property last summer.

Teachers are able to donate or request additional leave until mid-September.

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.