Protect students who need it most

The distressing facts of the settlement with parents of special education students at Kipapa Elementary School illuminates the need to improve how the state handles these difficult cases.

Clearly, staffing is ill-prepared to deal with the challenges of classroom management when one or more students has severe developmental impairments. The Kipapa episodes involved practices that, the families’ advocates alleged, included physical restraints and forced feeding.

That the ubiquitous smart phone made photographic documentation a simple matter surely strengthened the case.

Bringing more trained staffing to the job is an expensive proposition, but that must be part of the planning going forward.

And every single report of such problems should ring alarm bells, as far up the administrative chain as possible — and as quickly as possible.

Let’s hear from food truck owners

The city is looking for input from food truck owners and operators, as well as other members of the public, as it develops rules to go with a new permitting system.

A public hearing on the implementation of Bill 1 will be held April 24 at 6 p.m. in the Mission Memorial Hearings Room. Another will be held once the rules are drafted.

Bill 1 created a two-year pilot project to grant operating permits to food trucks within the Hawaii Capitol Special District. The measure became law last month without the signature of Mayor Kirk Caldwell, who objected to the lack of testimony from food-truck operators. The evening hearing should make it easier for working folks to attend, especially those who will be directly affected by the pilot program.