ʻO ka Papahana Kaiapuni (KPK) ka ʻōnaehana kula e aʻo ana i nā haumāna ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. ʻO ia hoʻokahi ka ʻōlelo e hoʻohana ʻia ma ke aʻo ʻana a hiki i ka papa 5, ka pae papa e launa ai me ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia. Kākoʻo ʻia Ka Papahana Kaiapuni e ke Keʻena Hoʻonaʻauao Hawaiʻi, he Keʻena ʻo ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o ke aupuni ʻo Hawaiʻi. E kuhi ana paha ka hapanui o ka lehulehu i ka pahuhopu o KPK he hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō, eia naʻe, nui nā pahuhopu koʻikoʻi o KPK, e laʻa, ka hoʻoulu ʻana i ka ʻike Hawaiʻi, ka ʻike kūpuna a me ka pilina moʻokūʻauhau o nā hānauna e hiki mai ana.

Ka Moʻolelo Kaiapuni

ʻOiai, ua ʻāpono ʻia ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi he ʻōlelo koʻikoʻi o ke aupuni ma ke Kumukānāwai o Hawaiʻi, (Article XV, Section 4), hoʻomaka akula ka hoʻōla hou ʻana i ka ʻōlelo. I ka makahiki kula 1987-88, ua wehe ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o Hawaiʻi (HIDOE) i nā kula kaiapuni, he mea ʻakahi ʻakahi, ma nā kula haʻahaʻa ʻo Waiau a ʻo Keaukaha. He hopena kēia wehena o ka hana hoʻopaipai a nā mākua a me nā mea kākoʻo o ke kaiaulu. He ʻiʻini ko lākou e hoʻomau aku ke aʻo ʻana a nā keiki ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i hoʻomaka ʻia ma nā kula kamaliʻi uku ʻo Pūnana Leo a i ka papa mālaaʻo o ke kula aupuni.

Ke Ao Nei

A ma hope mai, ua hele a ahuahu nō ka Papahana Kaiapuni. Ma muli o ko ke kaiapuni ulu ʻana, he mana koho ko nā ʻohana. ʻO KPK kekahi ala ʻimi naʻauao Hawaiʻi mai ka papa mālaaʻo a i ka papa 12 ma nā kula aupuni. I ke ao nei, he 22 mau kula kaiapuni ma lalo o ka Luna ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao a he 7 kula hoʻāmana ma lalo o ka Papa Hoʻonaʻauao. ʻOkoʻa kēlā kula, ʻokoʻa kēia kula, akā he mau kula kaiapuni lākou a pau i ke kula haʻahaʻa, kula waena, a me ke kula kiʻekiʻe. Aia lākou ma 6 mokupuni o ka pae ʻāina a i kēlā kēia mokupuni, hiki i ka ʻohana ke koho i ke kula ʻia ʻana ma ke kaiapuni mai kīnohi a i ke kula nui.

He nani ia, e hiki mai ana ka piha makahiki 37 o ka Papahana Kaiapuni, nānā ʻia nā hana maikaʻi i hoʻomohala i ka papahana. He mea nui ka pilina o KPK me ka ʻAha Kauleo (ʻAKL). He hui kaiaulu ka ʻAKL e ʻākoakoa ana nā ʻelele mākua, kumu, a poʻokumu o kēlā me kēia kula, a ʻo ia hoʻi nō, he mau ʻelele kula nui a kaiaulu, e laʻa me OHA, KSBE, a me ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo. ʻO ke kuleana o ka ʻAKL ke kauleo ʻana i ka Papa Hoʻonaʻauao a me ka Luna ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao a koe kēlā, he pahuhopu ko ka ʻaha i ke kākoʻo ʻana i ka hoʻonaʻau pono o ke kaiapuni, a no ka hoʻonaʻauao Hawaiʻi pono ʻana i ka lehulehu ma nā kula aupuni.

Ua kūkala akula kēia holopono o ka Papahana Kaiapuni i ke ao holoʻokoʻa. Maopopo i ka poʻe ʻōiwi i ʻAmelika hui pū ʻia a me nā ʻāina ʻē, no laila noi ʻia nā kānaka kaiapuni e hōʻike i kā lākou hana ma o ke kipa ʻana i nā kula, ke kono ʻana i nā ʻaha a pēlā wale aku. E laʻa, i ka ʻaha National Indian Education Association (NIEA) o ka makahiki 2015, hoʻohanohano ʻia ka ʻAha Kauleo i ka William Demmert Cultural Freedom Award.

Ka Papa Inoa Kula

The Department contributes to Hawaiian language revitalization by providing for K-12 Hawaiian language education. Kaiapuni schools deliver instruction exclusively through the medium of Hawaiian language until grade 5, whereupon English is formally introduced.

• 1978 State Constitutional Amendment - Article XV, Section 4

• BOE Policy 105-8: Ka Papahana Kaiapuni

• He mele no Kaʻohekūlani