What should have happened in the first place

The state Department of Education’s belated decision to demand that the controversial Pono Choices sex-ed curriculum be revised illustrates how important it is to engage parents in educational decisions.

The DOE initially dismissed complaints about the explicit curriculum for 11- to 13-year-olds, re-approving it after an internal review. When the outcry did not abate, a second review was ordered. This time the DOE convened a working group that included parents, health professionals, pastors and teachers, and the group found such serious problems in the curriculum that Pono Choices will no longer be taught in Hawaii’s public schools unless the curriculum-maker revises it.

There’s a lesson for the DOE here: Include parents from the outset.

Get Handi-Vans — and riders — on the road

Customers have complained for years about the city’s Handi-Van service, especially unreliable schedules and delays in pickups or drop-offs. It didn’t help that one 8-year-old Handi-Van caught fire two weeks ago.

So it must be especially galling to learn that a dispute between the city and a vendor has delayed the rollout of 20 brand-new Handi-Van vehicles. The city says some of the vans don’t meet quality-control standards; Erik Soderholm of Soderholm Sales & Leasing Inc. says the problems are easily fixed and don’t justify a months-long delay in putting them all on the road. Given that most of their customers are elderly, disabled and weak, perhaps both sides should resolve their dispute and work together to get those vehicles on the road ASAP.