As many Lahaina families continue to voice worries over the safety of reopening the three public schools above the burn zone next week, new documents from the state Department of Education are providing details on the actions the schools will take to monitor air safety and next steps if air quality veers into “unhealthy” or “hazardous” categories by federal standards.

A six-tier, color-coded “Air Quality Action Plan for Schools,” with recommended steps for differing levels of air quality ranging from “good” to “hazardous,” is part of a 16-page DOE document titled “Health &Safety Guidance for Reopening Lahaina Schools, Fall 2023.”

The guidance document “outlines actions schools will take based on air quality readings from particulate matter sensors,” Rebecca Winkie, superintendent for Hana-Lahainaluna-Lanai- Molokai complex area, said in a letter sent Friday to Lahaina parents. “The Department is also working to revise schools’ Emergency Action Plans to address alternate access routes and exit paths should a mass evacuation be necessary.”

The guidance is for the three Lahaina public schools preparing to welcome students for the first time in over two months since they were closed by the devastating Aug. 8 wildfire. Faculty and staff reported for work Friday.

Lahainaluna High opens to students Oct. 16; Lahaina Intermediate on Oct. 17.

Oct. 18 marks the return of students from Princess Nahienaena Elementary, as well as King Kamehameha III Elementary, which was damaged beyond repair in the fire. Students from both schools will share the Princess Nahienaena Elementary campus until a temporary school for King Kamehameha III Elementary students can be built in Pulelehua.

UNDER THE “Air Quality Action Plan for Schools,” air quality levels begin at green, for “good,” with particulate matter at zero to 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air. At that level, doors and windows can be opened and normal school operations would be maintained.

“It’s a good day to be active outside!” the DOE guidance says.

State education and health officials say the monitors placed at the three schools have remained consistently at green since being installed. About a week ago one monitor at Lahainaluna High showed a yellow “moderate” level but it was not considered significant because it was brief and isolated, DOE Communications Director Nanea Kalani said.

At the other end of the spectrum is maroon, for “hazardous,” with particulate matter at 250.5 to 500.4 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The DOE guidance for this level says: “If school is in session, shelter in place,” and, “If school is not yet in session, do not report to campus.”

It also recommends that the school relocate or reschedule extracurricular activities; keep people indoors whenever possible; conduct recess, PE classes and other activities indoors; contact and consult with the DOE Environmental Services Unit and Maui emergency services; and communicate with families.

None of the six tiers mentions evacuation among recommended actions, even if air quality should become “hazardous,” the most severe level.

Kalani on Friday said that new evacuation routes meant as alternates to often-clogged Lahainaluna Road are being developed not in case of air quality problems but primarily for fires or other types of emergencies.

She acknowledged that school evacuations had been discussed by officials weeks ago as a response being considered if clearing of debris in the burn zone causes unhealthy air conditions. However, evacuation was not recommended in subsequent consultation with the state Department of Health, which bases its recommendations on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

“We wouldn’t evacuate into open air if the air is hazardous. That’s how come when air is bad, the recommendation if school is in session is to shelter in place,” Kalani said.

If air quality should reach the red level, for “unhealthy,” or the two levels beyond, though, the school would consult with both the DOE Environmental Services unit and Maui emergency services, Kalani said. “Consulting with Maui emergency management, we would follow the direction of whatever emergency officials direct the schools to do,” she said.

Asked about the risk of toxic ash reaching the schools as cleanup progresses in the burn zone, Kalani said, “We’re working with emergency and health officials to minimize disruption and impacts from the area once schools open.”

MOST OF the DOE guidance document is focused on monitoring of air quality and response if conditions change. It was developed in consultation with the Health Department, the DOE said.

Drinking water and soil have been deemed safe through testing, the document says. The DOE has posted testing results and other updates in its Maui progress report, viewable online at 808ne.ws/ 3Zw0dOG.

For air quality, the DOH and the EPA have installed monitors at the three schools, and they are “part of a network of sensors that will be used as the primary tool for tracking fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller,” the DOE guidance says. “Fine particulates can travel deeply into the lungs and cause inflammation and damage to the lung tissue. Particulates come from many different sources such as dust, soot, smoke or car exhaust.”

The EPA website fire.airnow.gov provides an hourly update of air quality for each monitor.

“Each school will have a designated administrator responsible for monitoring changes in air quality,” and each school administrator will also have a handheld air sensor to look for trends in air quality indoors, the DOE guidance says.

Kalani said a school will notify its families if air quality reaches the orange level, for “caution for sensitive groups,” or any level above.

One section of the DOE guidance, titled “Reducing exposure,” says that “as air particulate matter increases it is important to protect health by limiting time and intensity of outside physical activity, staying indoors when possible, closing windows and doors, and keeping indoor air clean. Keep your air clean by using a HEPA air filter or Corsi-Rosenthal box. If indoor temperature is high, get to a location with clean filtered air and air-conditioning system filtration. Walking, biking, or riding in a bus with windows opened is considered time outdoors.”

The DOE said last week that 300 indoor air filters were being distributed to classrooms and offices at the three schools.

A section on “sensitive groups” says in part that “groups sensitive to air quality include all children ages 18 and younger, older adults, pregnant people, and individuals with health conditions such as asthma and other lung diseases and heart disease. Children breathe in more air than adults for their body weight, increasing their total exposure to air pollution.”

Winkie’s memo to Lahaina parents included a flier titled, “Reopening Lahaina Schools for Fall 2023.” A section labeled “Important Information” said:

>> HEPA air filters will be available in every classroom.

>> Air quality sensors are in each school and will be monitored throughout the day.

>> Every school revisited and updated their internal emergency action plans.

>> HIDOE, school administrators and local agencies will continue to work together to monitor safety.

>> School administrators are committed to ongoing communication with families.

>> Mental health supports are available to both students and staff.