Welina ke aloha e ka ‘ohana o Kamehameha Hawaiʻi,
We’ve been following the increased intensity of the coronavirus story here at our kula, maintaining a focus on being prepared for what is inherently a difficult set of circumstances to predict with certainty. We have taken many factors into account, led by our overarching priority to protect our students, families, and staff's health, safety, and well-being.
We have three key principles to guide our decisions as an organization:
First, we need to ensure the health of our students, families, and staff.
Second, as an organization, we must do our part to keep our community healthy.
Third, we must plan appropriately to fulfill our educational mission and, to the extent possible, continue with normal business operations.
As the situation evolves each day, it may be necessary for Kamehameha Schools to adapt and update policies and procedures in response to guidance and directives from state and federal health officials.
Parent/Caregiver Resources
As a parent/caregiver, our first concern is about how to protect and take care of our children and family. Knowing important information about the outbreak and learning how to be prepared can reduce stress and help calm likely anxieties. Here is another resource to help you think about how an infectious disease outbreak might affect your family—both physically and emotionally—and what you can do to help your family cope.
As children overhear us listening to news reports and discussing current events, our concerns can cause students to fret too. Here is a video that explains the virus to young minds in a way they can easily understand.
For the moment, we’ll continue to listen closely to our medical colleagues, we’ll confirm the well-being of our students as our primary focus, and we’ll stay attentive while we work to keep things in perspective.
School/Business Operations
All campuses, community programs and business operations will continue as normal until further notice.
Events
All KS school and community events will proceed as scheduled until further notice.
School Travel
All travel to countries, where the CDC has issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory or higher, has been suspended.
All other international or domestic U.S. travel at this time is discouraged and will not be permitted, unless deemed essential by the school. All travel requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For the month of March, all international and domestic U.S. travel involving students has been cancelled.
All interisland travel will be permitted without restriction, at this time.
Visitors to Kamehameha Hawaiʻi
KS has suspended hosting any visitors from CDC Level 2 or higher countries. Visitors from CDC Level 1 countries and other international or domestic U.S. visitors will only be allowed if deemed essential.
Personal Travel
Personal travel plans are discretionary and a family decision. We understand that some families already have Spring Break travel plans scheduled. For the safety and health of our students, families, and staff, we ask for your cooperation in the following:
We do not recommend traveling to a CDC Level 1 or higher country. Be aware these classifications may change without any notice.
If you are traveling to a CDC Level 2 or higher country, we request that you notify the school’s front office with your travel plans (place(s) visiting and estimated travel dates). For travel notifications, call your child’s front office or fill out a travel notification form online.
Based on conditions at the time of your return, an appropriate quarantine period may be required before your child returns to school.
We want to assure you that we are continuing to monitor the situation and will remain vigilant in our decisions regarding our school community. While we do not want to cause unnecessary alarm by communicating either too much or too little, please know that we are watching and planning, and will continue to communicate should the need arise.
‘O au iho nō me ke aloha nuʻukia ē,
M. Kāhealani Naeʻole-Wong
Poʻo Kula, Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi