Hawaii public schools to reopen Wednesday, 2 remain closed

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii State Department of Education will resume normal operations at public schools statewide Wednesday, Aug. 19, following post-storm assessments and recovery efforts.

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Most public schools reopened to students Tuesday, while staff returned to other campuses to continue assessments and preparations.

HIDOE said all remaining schools are now cleared to reopen to students and staff Wednesday, including a small number of campuses on Oahu and Hawaii Island that remain without power but are able to operate safely.

Hawaii Island

Two Hawaii Island schools remain under previously announced extended closures:

Both campuses will remain closed through Thursday, Aug. 20, as assessments continue.

All public schools statewide are already scheduled to be closed on Friday, Aug. 21, in observance of Statehood Day. This means both Nāʻālehu Elementary and Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary will remain closed for the entirety of the school week.

“Seeing firsthand the impacts on our schools and communities underscored the challenges many families are facing, particularly in areas affected by road conditions and extended power and communication outages,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi said.

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Hayashi visited schools in the Keaʻau, Pāhala and Nāʻālehu areas Monday as recovery efforts continued.

Storm Damage

As staff returned to campuses Tuesday, additional storm-related damage was discovered.

HIDOE said it had received more than 600 preliminary work orders statewide as of noon Tuesday — including 360 on Oʻahu, 81 on Hawaiʻi Island and 175 across the other islands.

Reports include downed trees, roof damage, water intrusion, electrical issues and other facility impacts.

Department employees, facilities crews, contractors and utility partners continue working to assess damage, restore essential services and prepare campuses for normal operations.

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