The state Department of Education announced Wednesday afternoon that all public schools on Hawaii Island will be closed Friday in anticipation of Tropical Storm Ana.
“Students and staff of these schools will be dismissed at the end of the school day Thursday,” the DOE said in a press release. “Additionally, all inter-scholastic athletic events and student activities are canceled beginning Thursday and through the weekend, resuming when schools reopen.”
Many DOE schools serve as emergency shelters. Hawaii County Civil Defense officials have determined which schools are activated shelters. They include:
l Kau High &Pahala Elementary
l Keaau High
l Kohala High &Elementary
l Kealakehe High
l Konawaena High
l Hilo High
l Waiakea High
l Pahoa High &Intermediate
l Honokaa High &Intermediate
l Waikoloa Elementary
Hilo High will serve as a shelter, but the school’s new gym will not be used, according to Principal Robert Dircks. Several “punch-list” items remain to be completed before the building can obtain a full certificate of occupancy, allowing it to be used as an emergency shelter.
“We’re about 98 or 99 percent complete,” he said Wednesday. “But several of these punch-list items are related to safety. Things like exit doors with certain types of devices on them that are critical. We currently only have a temporary certificate of occupancy, so we can do things like practices, as long as its not over 50 people.”
Dircks said staff members will begin Thursday evening preparing the school’s cafeteria to serve as a shelter.
More information on emergency shelters is available through the state or county Civil Defense at scd.hawaii.gov. For updated information on public school operations, follow the DOE on Twitter at @HIDOE808.
The University of Hawaii announced Wednesday that individual campuses would make decisions concerning cancellation of classes and activities as their administrators continue to monitor the storm situation. A spokeswoman reported that no decision had been made regarding UH-Hilo classes or activities as of Wednesday afternoon.
Updates will be provided as needed online at hawaii.edu and the UH System emergency web page at hawaii.edu/emergency.
As of Wednesday afternoon, a number of public charter schools on Hawaii Island also were scheduled to be closed Friday, including:
l Kua o ka La New Century Public Charter School, Pahoa.
l Connections Public Charter School, Hilo
l Hawaii Academy of Arts &Science Public Charter School, Pahoa.
l Ka ‘Umeke Ka’eo, Hilo
l Ke Kula ‘o Nawahiokalani’opu’u Iki Public Charter School, Keaau
l Na Wai Ola Public Charter School, Mountain View
l Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School, Laupahoehoe
l Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School, Waimea
l Innovations Public Charter School, Kailua-Kona
l Kanu o ka Aina New Century Public Charter School, Waimea.
For more up-to-date information on public charter schools’ closures, visit http://www.chartercommission.hawaii.gov/.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-
herald.com.
