The latest schools and education news including coverage of the Hawaii Department of Education, the University of Hawaii system, national news and more.
The Honolulu Police Department opened three felony investigations after a series of anonymous threats of violence at the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama campus prompted school officials to notify parents, faculty and staff. Read more
A House bill proposing an end to religious exemptions for school immunization requirements is making headway in the state Legislature. Read more
The University of Hawaii Cancer Center and The Queen’s Health Systems are teaming up to provide cutting-edge, comprehensive cancer care to residents under one roof. Read more
Trump’s attack on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility places a target directly on UH, according to political analyst Neal Milner. Read more
The state Department of Human Services is accepting applications through April 30 for the 2025-2026 school year. The program provides tuition subsidies for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds. Read more
Although she did not say how she would ultimately rule, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley at a hearing in Boston told a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice that if the planned cuts took effect, “there will be harm and it will be immediate.” Read more
The University of Hawaii has joined other Hawaii institutions forced to respond to President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders to eliminate diversity and race-based programs and practices — while also putting at risk over $386 million in federal funding used to pay thousands of UH employees, UH President Wendy Hensel told the 10-campus system Tuesday. Read more
University of Hawaii regent Neil Abercrombie is pressing for answers on how much UH employees would receive in back pay for putting themselves at risk while working during the COVID-19 era. Read more
Washington-based U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss declined to issue a temporary restraining order sought by the University of California Student Association to prevent the department from disclosing information to people affiliated with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Read more
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Trump and his allies call the programs anti-merit and discriminatory against white people and men. Read more
Currently, no standardized procedure exists to handle harassment in schools, and some teachers argue they need a safe space to foster a safe learning environment for students. Read more
Trump on Wednesday reiterated his call to shutter the department, which employs about 4,200 people and had a $251 billion budget in the fiscal year that ended in September. Read more
Hawaii State Teachers Association leaders, including some who are educators themselves, joined a large group of teachers, parents, students and elected officials in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to urge Congress to oppose federal cuts and protect public education. Read more
Graduates will be eligible for a Hawaii early childhood teaching license for preschool through third grade. Read more
SB 63 and HB 333 would require all public elementary middle and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Read more
Republicans were critical of the Education Department under former President Joe Biden, particularly over student loan forgiveness and policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Read more
Third-year pediatric resident Arlene Parubrub Kiyohara appreciates the state’s ongoing efforts to keep home local health care workers like her but believes two bills moving through the Legislature would limit educational and career options for University of Hawaii medical students like her and her classmates. Read more
Hawaii lawmakers are once again pushing to expand access to free school meals through new House bills after facing setbacks in previous sessions. Read more
Hawaii’s fourth grade students made significant strides in mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” positioning the state among a select group showing improvement. Read more
A kindergarten teacher at Kalihi Uka Elementary School was honored Tuesday as Hawaii’s sole recipient of the 2025 Milken Educator Award. Read more
All other Hawaii public schools are open as scheduled. Read more
