Limited distance-based learning spots available for many Hawaii public students

Less than a week before the start of the school year, the state Department of Education has disclosed details about its state-based distance learning program, setting aside only a limited number of slots for students.

As few as 30 openings per grade level are available to students whose school or area complex doesn’t offer a distance-learning program, according to a memo sent to principals and complex superintendents this week. There are even fewer slots for elementary school students, from about 21 to 27, the memo said.

The department on July 22 unveiled a list of about 100 schools offering a remote-learning option for parents uneasy about sending their child to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month state Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto said there would be no full distance-learning options for Hawaii public school students this coming academic year.

The focus of the year would be on in-person instruction, she said, while noting the toll remote learning played on students in learning loss as well as social and emotional problems.

Earlier DOE surveys of parents found that there was little demand for distance learning, but that was before the delta variant emerged as a driving force in a surge of coronavirus across the islands.

Parents interested in the remote program should contact their school principal, who will discuss eligibility criteria and then make a referral to the state for eligible students.