We received several responses regarding our column on what the English standard schools were in Hawaii, in which we cited two research papers saying there were only nine of them and none in Kailua (http://is.gd/kokualine03282012).

However, many readers called, wrote or emailed to challenge that statement, saying they remember attending English standard schools in Kailua, at Maemae Elementary, at August Ahrens Elementary and at Leilehua Elementary.

Thomas Yagi remembers graduating from the last ninth-grade class from Kailua in 1953, when it only went up to the ninth grade.

“It was considered an English standard school,” he said. “The classes were made up of A, B, C and D. The classes in A & B primarily consisted of Caucasians and C & D primarily non-Caucasians. Individuals in A & B could automatically go to Roosevelt High School, an English standard school, while individuals in C & D had to go to Castle High School. Individuals from C & D who wanted to attend Roosevelt High School had to take a verbal test. I am aware of this because I personally experienced this.”

Yagi described himself as a “proud Castle High graduate, class of 1956.”

The schools were created beginning in 1924 because of  concerns that English-speaking children were not getting the best education and were slowed by non-English-speaking children.

Another reader, anonymous, wrote about attending Kailua School on Kuulei Street from 1936 to 1944.

“I recall about 1939 or so we were segregated into regular and English standard classes. I am not sure when it ended.”

Kokua Line did say, “In other places where there were not enough qualified students to warrant an entire English standard school, a separate class or section was designated the English standard program … ”

While only nine schools were wholly English standard, many others divided students into English standard or “regular” grades and classes.

We thank the staffs of the Hawaii State Archives, Legislative Reference Bureau and Hawaii State Library’s Hawaii & Pacific Section for their help in the research.

The searches uncovered a 1948 reference bureau report that showed that in 1947, 7.64 percent of all students in territorial public schools were in English standard schools, with 12.72 percent attending English standard classes in a dual public school system.

The report said the then-Department of Public Instruction planned to establish English standard sections in all but five of the 23 regular elementary schools in Honolulu beginning in 1948 and ultimately, to convert all schools to English standard. That didn’t happen.

An Oct. 4, 1958, Star-Bulletin article by Helen Abood (Altonn) reported, “The Territory’s 34-year-old English standard school system — widely branded as undemocratic by opponents — is nearing an end.”

She said Roosevelt High School was the only English standard school remaining, but would be “entirely one standard” by the fall of 1960.

The demise of the English standard system, which was instituted in 1924 with Lincoln Elementary, began when then-Gov. Ingram Stainback signed into law Act 227 of the 1949 Legislature, directing all elementary schools to begin converting to a single, unified system that fall.

Question: I have seen numerous bicyclists riding at night with no lights either front or rear. What is the law regarding riding a bicycle at night?

Answer: Section 291C-147 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes requires bicycles used from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise to have a front-facing lamp with a white light visible at least 500 feet and a red rear reflector, at least 4 inches square, visible for 600 feet when in front of a vehicle with its lights on.

Or bicycles can have either a lighted lamp if it can be seen in both directions for 500 feet or the reflective material if it can be seen in both directions for 600 feet.

In place of the front lamp, a lamp visible for at least 500 feet to the front can be displayed on the left arm or left leg of the biker.

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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.