A new report shows for the first time the dramatic rise in student absences at Hawaii public schools during the surge of the COVID- 19 omicron variant, with many schools reporting absentee rates two to four times higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Examples from the full list from the state Department of Education, some of which raised alarms with some educators, parents and officials who spoke Thursday at a Board of Education meeting:

>> The Waianae complex had the highest student absentee rate on Oahu for the first week of school in the new semester, at 28.6% for Jan. 4-7. That was up from its first-semester absentee rate of 17.6%. In the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year, before the pandemic descended on the U.S., student absences for that complex were at 9.9%.

>> The McKinley complex in urban Honolulu was near the middle of the pack with a student absentee rate of 21.8% in the first week of school. That was significantly higher than its fall semester rate of 12.3%. In the semester before the start of the pandemic, McKinley’s absentee average was 8%.

>> The Kalani complex had the lowest absentee rate in the state for the first week of school at 11.5%, but that was still more than double the 5.1% from the first semester. Before the pandemic, student absenteeism was at 4.4%.

>> The complexes with the highest student absentee rates statewide for the first week of school were Lanai at 33.9%, Kau at 33.4% and Molokai at 29.1%.

The figures were part of a wide-ranging COVID-19 report presented to the state Board of Education by interim schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi. He said that despite the large absences of students as well as teachers and staff, the department continues to prioritize keeping schools open because in-person learning is best. He repeatedly issued public thanks to school employees and substitute teachers who have stepped in to cover staffing shortfalls, saying they are working “incredibly hard to keep our schools open and safe.”

Schools ‘in crisis’

But the head of the Hawaii teachers union, Osa Tui Jr., painted a starkly different picture, warning in his testimony to the board that the public schools “are in crisis, and school staff are being pushed to and beyond their breaking points.”

“So many students are missing that teachers don’t know how to conduct class,” the Hawaii State Teachers Association president added. “Similarly, large portions of staff are missing, which results in combining classes, warehousing of students in facilities where there’s minimal social distancing, and the ‘sustained silent reading’ going on is students on their phones on social media.”

The HSTA has a complaint pending before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, has filed a grievance with the DOE and has issued a new request to bargain with the DOE over teacher working conditions.

Hayashi was sharply questioned in the meeting by school board member Bruce Voss, who said many educators and parents are frustrated and angry that DOE leaders have not provided concrete metrics and stronger guidance to help determine when absences and other pandemic factors are severe enough that a school should switch to distance learning.

On Jan. 14 teacher absences statewide spiked to 2,159. The department is expected to issue another weekly count of teacher absences today.

The report said 3,369 cases of COVID-19 were reported among students, teachers and staff statewide between Dec. 10 and Jan. 9.

The Education Department’s COVID-19 dashboard Thursday afternoon showed 1,123 cases reported statewide Tuesday, the highest single-day number since students came back from winter break. The daily average for Jan. 10-19 was 563.

“The confusion, frustration and anger that you heard is driven by a belief that the department has not provided sufficient guidance f0r the schools,” Voss said, referring to several parents and teachers who testified at the hearing that they worry that students and educators are in danger with the unprecedented spread of the virus.

‘No one size fits all’

Hayashi said deciding whether to close a class or school is based on whether there is enough staffing, supervision for recess and lunch, and support services such as meals and bus transportation. But there are no specific numbers, Hayashi said; it is a subjective call based on the unique needs of an individual schools, reached between a principal and complex-area superintendent and, if a full closure is needed, the state superintendent. “It will look different at every school. There is no one size fits all,” Hayashi said.

At least four of the state’s 257 public schools have temporarily shifted to virtual learning due to a rise in COVID-19 cases and/or school employee absences. Waianae Intermediate School went remote for one day and came back Jan. 11. Sunset Beach Elementary students returned Tuesday after three days of distance learning. On Kauai, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School went virtual Tuesday and for the rest of the week. Haiku Elementary School on Maui has changed to online learning from Wednesday through today.

The report highlighted progress in campus vaccine and testing. Since May 2021, 535 public school-based vaccination clinics have been held. Roughly half of the schools offered coronavirus testing in the first week of January. However, a “test to stay” program is on hold because of a shortage of testing supplies, Hayashi said.