After pushback from teachers and principals, schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto and public employee unions have agreed to propose Aug. 17 as the first day for students rather than Tuesday.

The delayed start for public schools will be up for a vote Thursday by the Board of Education, which scheduled a special meeting to consider changing the 2020-21 school calendar to allow more time for staff training to deal with the COVID-19 situation.

Teachers return to campuses today as previously scheduled. If approved by the board, the Aug. 17 start would give faculty and staff another nine full days to prepare, on top of the four days normally allotted at the start of the academic year.

Kishimoto says she and other leaders have been working with the unions “to ensure our students get the education they deserve and our employees have a safe work environment.”

“We will use this time to prepare at yet another level, but I recognize this comes at a cost for public school parents and our students,” Kishimoto said. “My expectation is that if the board approves the two-week delay, that our labor partners will do an aggressive push to their members to be at schoolhouse doors on Day One for our students.”

The plan would cut the number of instructional days for students to 171 from the legally mandated 180, a waiver that the board has the power to grant. The three unions also have agreed to negotiate to restore three student instructional days later in the school year in hopes of reducing the impact on student learning.

The proposal follows a marathon Board of Education meeting Thursday that drew thousands of pages of written testimony from educators and attracted 1,000 listeners. More than 130 school administrators submitted testimony expressing concern about whether they would have enough time to do everything needed to keep students and staff safe if schools opened Tuesday.

The agenda for Thursday’s meeting also includes setting out the board’s expectations on contentious issues such as requiring the use of masks or other face coverings on campus and the need for specific written guidance from the Department of Health on how schools should respond to COVID-19.

“The absence of detailed, written, and publicly shared guidance from the DOH for schools has resulted in confusion and questioning of the guidance documents issued by the DOE,” board Chairwoman Catherine Payne wrote in a memo to fellow board members. “This lack of transparency has caused problems, delayed the implementation of guidance, and led to a general erosion of public trust.”

Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist, has said previously that the Department of Health is relying on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently was updated.

But HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said more details are needed on procedures to follow locally, such as health screenings for students and employees, what should happen as COVID-19 cases crop up and what would trigger the closing of a classroom, building or school.

“That is something that should absolutely occur before students return to campus,” Rosenlee said Tuesday.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, the United Public Workers and the HSTA, which together represent school employees, submitted joint testimony for Thursday’s meeting.

They asked for training and practice on new protocols such as use of personal protective equipment, cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing, health and safety protocols, and configuring classrooms and other school spaces. They also sought professional development on blended learning programs and virtual instruction, handling students with special needs, and contingencyplans for when buildings are shut down, among other things.

“No one wants students back in class more than teachers, but we want to be sure that we’ve been properly trained and supplied to protect against the coronavirus — and we want to fully prepare to conduct virtual learning and serve our students both in-person and online,” Rosenlee wrote in an email to HSTA members.

The Board of Education meeting will be held virtually, in audio form only. A link to the agenda and how to submit testimony or listen to the meeting are available at boe.hawaii.gov.