The number of displaced Lahaina public school students who still haven’t been reached by the state or enrolled in new schools is now down to slightly more than 500, and authorities will continue to work by phone and on foot until each one is contacted, a top state education official said Wednesday.

However, state schools Deputy Superintendent Heidi Armstrong said she could not give an estimate for how many of the public schools’ 3,001 Lahainaluna-­complex students died in the Aug. 8 wildfire disaster in West Maui.

“We don’t have exact numbers on anything,” she said in a Honolulu Star-­Advertiser interview Wednesday. “We’re actively trying to continue to make outreach to our families.”

Nanea Kalani, communications director at the state Department of Education, added that the DOE believes it cannot release any information about student deaths, due to limitations of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The U.S. Department of Education has said that “at the elementary/secondary level, FERPA rights do not lapse or expire upon the death of a student, because FERPA provides specifically that the rights it affords rest with the parents of students until that student reaches 18 years of age or attends an institution of postsecondary education,” Kalani said. “Once the parents are deceased, the records are no longer protected by FERPA.”

When asked to respond to concerns expressed by some members of the public that the DOE is holding back information about student deaths in the disaster, Armstrong responded, “We aren’t hiding anything. We receive the same information that the public does.

“We look to the credible sources, such as the Maui Police Department, for the most accurate information,” Armstrong continued. “And we just continue to reach out in every way that we can to support our families and our students as we try and rebuild an educational program that will serve them best.”

No deadline set

The DOE in late August had reported that only about one-third of the DOE’s 3,001 students in the Lahainaluna complex of four public schools had either enrolled in other Hawaii public schools or the state’s distance learning program. And state officials had no easy way to tell how many students were exiting the DOE system, or were among those missing and feared perished.

But the number has gradually fallen as DOE efforts to reach families have continued and more information has emerged from other organizations. As of Wednesday the DOE said about 83% of the 3,001 students had been contacted, or were confirmed as having enrolled in another public school, charter school or the state distance learning program; transferred to a private school; moved to the mainland; or withdrawn.

Around 466 remaining students’ families had been left phone messages by DOE staff that had not been responded to, and less than 50 had not yet been reached as of yesterday, said Armstrong, who has been involved in the DOE’s contact efforts.

“Out of the 466 that we left phone messages for, we will continue during the upcoming days to attempt to reach them in person, rather than a voice message,” Armstrong said. “Most of the calls, we were able to leave voice messages, but some of the calls we made, the voice mailbox was full or the voice mailbox hadn’t been set up yet.”

No deadline has been set to finish determining the whereabouts of every last DOE student from the Lahainaluna complex, she said.

Gov. Josh Green had said in the immediate days after the fires that the victims likely included “many children.” But of the 115 people in the standing official death toll, only one minor, 7-year-old Tony Takafua of Lahaina, is among the 55 people whose identities have been confirmed and released by authorities so far. Another minor, Keyiro Fuentes, 14, of Lahaina, is among those believed to have died in the fires, based on family social media and media reports.

On the Maui County official list of missing people, only one name, Justin Oliver Recolizado, has an “M” designation, indicating he is known to be a minor.

Challenges abound

At more than four weeks since the fires began, Armstrong also detailed some of the complexities and difficulties that have slowed the DOE’s efforts to contact every last one of its families.

Because the fires sent people scattering quickly and haphazardly, and crippled telecommunications in some areas for days, initially the DOE relied on its “homeless liaisons” and “community navigators” on staff to go on foot to visit emergency shelters, to check on students, provide information and mental health support, and start making contact lists, Armstrong said.

As emergency shelters closed and families have moved into hotels, the homes of relatives and friends, and other longer-term temporary accommodations, DOE staff have continued to try to track down people in person and by phone, as well as try to find them at community meetings, Armstrong said. In all, about 60 DOE staff members at the school, complex and state levels have been working on contact efforts, she said.

Families of Lahainaluna complex students who have not been contacted by DOE staff are encouraged to call the department’s support hotline at 808-727-6880, or text “SUPPORT” to 808-736-1427, Kalani said.

Training for DOE staff on how to support traumatized and grieving survivors of the fires as they are contacted also has taken time, Armstrong said. And the phone calls sometimes have been lengthy by necessity, as staff members have tried to give both information and compassion.

“There was a lot of listening,” she said. “And I think each staff member who made calls always breathed a sigh of relief when they were able to make contact with the family and the family was able to share the children were safe.”

Bus service launches

In fact, the DOE also is ramping up mental health support as it prepares today to enter a new phase: launching bus service for elementary and intermediate public school students from Lahaina who want to temporarily attend designated schools in Central and South Maui.

Counselors and support staff will be on all buses as at least some of the students from King Kamehameha III Elementary, Princess Nahienaena Elementary and Lahaina Intermediate schools start using new bus routes to designated temporary campuses at Wailuku Elementary or Kamalii Elementary in Kihei, and Lokelani Intermediate in Kihei.

Armstrong said school officials anticipate that for some children, being bused to a new and unfamiliar school in the wake of the disaster may be difficult. Counselors and other support staff will be on each bus ride to and from the schools, as well as on-site at the receiving schools, she said.

“Everyone has been affected differently,” Armstrong said. Staff members “will be looking for signs of trauma or distress as they’re watching the children while they’re riding on the bus, and are prepared to address any immediate needs as it comes to their attention.”

To participate in the bus service to the designated temporary schools, affected families must enroll their students temporarily at the designated campuses, the DOE said.

West Maui families who are still interested in enrolling at the designated schools may go to the new school or one of the bus stops to obtain and fill out enrollment and bus application forms, the DOE said. Any student who has already submitted a bus application does not need to submit a new application.

For Lahaina students attending Kamalii Elementary and Lokelani Intermediate schools, the sites for pickup and drop-off will be:

>> Kapalua Airport: departing 6:45 a.m. on school days; and returning 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

>> Whalers Village, near the “Whalers Village” sign and whale sculpture: departing 7 a.m. on school days; and returning 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

For Lahaina students attending Wailuku Elementary, the bus schedules will be:

>> Kapalua Airport: departing 6:30 a.m. on school days; and returning 3:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

>> Whalers Village, near “Whalers Village” sign and whale sculpture: departing 6:45 a.m. on school days; and returning 3:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Drop-off times may vary slightly due to traffic conditions. The DOE said it will provide security personnel at pickup and drop-off locations.

Beginning Sept. 14, Lahainaluna High School students will begin meeting at Kulanihakoi High School in Kihei. Students who want free school bus transportation from West Maui to Lahainaluna’s temporary campus in Kihei are encouraged to sign up in advance at bit.ly/485vRXh. Lahainaluna students will remain enrolled with Lahainaluna and do not need to enroll at Kulanihakoi, and bus schedules will be provided to families, the DOE said.

The DOE is “still on track” to reopen the Princess Nahienaena Elementary, Lahaina Intermediate and Lahainaluna High campuses after fall break in mid-October, state Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a news release. King Kamehameha III Elementary School was damaged beyond repair.

“As we await the results of environmental testing to safely reopen campuses, families who continue to live in Lahaina are encouraged to consider attending designated schools in Central or South Maui or applying for distance learning,” Hayashi said.