Most schools are on track to reopen later this month, but at least two schools are searching for alternatives in the final months of the school year.

Proposals have made it halfway through the legislative session, and some advocates are cautiously optimistic that legislation that failed in past years will make it this year.

DOE wants more support in keeping unwanted visitors off its campuses, but families say school playgrounds are an important part of the community.

The DOE has not taken the effort seriously and has no real plan for how to meet a legislative mandate to spend 30% of its food budget locally by 2030, according to a state audit.

The state entered into a contract to provide panic buttons to Hawaiʻi schools two years ago, but DOE campuses still don’t have access to the technology.

It seems only fair that the process should unfold with full transparency.

Hawaiʻi schools have faced multiple lawsuits in recent years involving decades-old incidents, after lawmakers temporarily lifted the statute of limitations around the sexual abuse of minors.

A controversial bill would cut top superintendent positions from the DOE and increase community input in schools. Some families say the change is long overdue.

Few departments met the official 10% goal last year. While cost, quality and lack of consistent supply are concerns, the current pace doesn’t bode well for the larger push to wean the islands off imported food.

Lawmakers are pushing for the education department to create more hands-on and project-based learning opportunities for students.