Editorial: Department of Health guides Hawaii schools

As Hawaii learns to live with the coronavirus, cognizant of the possibility that it may never go away, counties and the state have taken a longer view of how we measure progress and make decisions based on the data.

It’s a useful transition from the early days, when the daily number of positive cases seemed to drive policy. Now the state, Oahu and Kauai use color-coded tiers based on positivity rates and moving averages of cases, posted on websites and even on electronic signs over the freeway.

This week, the state Department of Health announced the adoption of similar tiers to help public and private schools determine when they can start bringing their students back into the classroom.

For example: If over two weeks, the 7-day average daily case rate is 2 or less per 100,000 population, and the positivity rate is less than 1% of tests given, schools can consider returning fully to in-person learning. On the other end of the spectrum, if the case average is 15.5 or higher, and the positivity rate greater than 7.5%, students must learn from home.

Between the comforting green tier and the scary purple one are a range of options for blended learning, which involves some students rotating in and out of campus according to physical distancing requirements.

The numbers are specific to each island, so schools on the neighbor islands, where coronavirus cases are fewer, could see students return to the classroom sooner than those on Oahu.

Certainly, getting students back into the classroom as soon as it is safe is critical. For young students especially, socialization and group learning are essential components of their education. It’s hoped that the updated guidelines will help school administrators see farther down the road and plan for a full reopening.

Still, each island, each public school complex area, each school, is unique, with its own needs and risk factors. Decisions still need to be made at the local level, depending on the ability of a school to protect its students, with masks and other safety equipment, space for outdoor learning and physical distancing, and good hygiene — as well as low or zero case counts.

As the DOH website noted, “an uncontrolled outbreak in a school might necessitate a return to a learn-from-home model” for that school, even if the islandwide data doesn’t call for it.