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Family Court action ongoing against school arson suspects

The work of rebuilding Kahului Elementary School continues to move forward

By Melissa Tanji 3 min read

Petitions have been filed in Family Courts on Maui and Oahu against two youths allegedly involved in a November fire that caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage at Kahului Elementary School, Maui County's prosecutor said this week.

Maui County Prosecutor John D. Kim said the petitions filed are equivalent to a criminal complaint; Family Court criminal cases are handled differently than in regular Circuit or District Court. He could not share any more details because Family Court cases are not public.

Seventeen-year-old boys from Kahului and Oahu are suspects in the Nov. 24 fire that destroyed the four-classroom F building and damaged two portable classrooms and waterlines. The school with 960 students from preschool to 5th grade was closed for more than a week.

Police said in December that the Kahului boy was charged with two counts of first-degree arson, three counts of second-degree burglary, attempted second-degree burglary and two counts of fourth-degree criminal property damage. He was taken to Family Court and was initially ordered transferred to the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility on Oahu but was later released.

In February, police said the Oahu boy was identified as a second suspect in the case and that the arson case had been closed. Police said the Oahu boy was visiting Maui at the time of the fire.

While work continued to find replacement facilities for the damaged classrooms, the school welcomed the beginning of construction this week on Building G, which was destroyed by fire eight years ago in April 2010. Construction preparations began last week.

The $5.5 million project is expected to be completed in February 2019. The fire displaced about 125 3rd- and 4th-graders and their teachers. Fire officials estimated damage of at least $500,000.

Education Department spokeswoman Sherie Char said that Building G took a while to be replaced due to procurement requirements.

As for dealing with the loss of Building F and two portables in November, the department is working on transporting and powering up six modular structures to be used as classrooms, said state Department of Education Assistant Superintendent Dann Carlson. The burned classrooms housed 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-grade students.

Building G will be demolished during the summer when students are on break, said Carlson. A procurement exemption was granted to help move the project along,

State Rep. Justin Woodson, whose district includes the school, said that a new F Building could cost as much as $11 million. There is some "conditional funding" in the Education Department budget that could be used for the building as well as insurance money, but getting those funds could take years. No capital improvement project money is included in the current proposed legislative budgets for rebuilding the school wing.

There are other methods and funding sources, which he continues to explore, the lawmaker said.

"It is very high priority to get that building rebuilt as fast as possible," Woodson said.

As for the students and teachers, "the feeling on campus is overall, positive. The new normal is evolving, but overall, students are so resilient," said Principal Keoni Wilhelm in an email.

One of the teachers whose classroom was damaged by the fire said her students are adapting well. Lianne Oshiro said they moved to an existing modular classroom previously used by curriculum coordinators.

The students "love their new classroom," she said.

"Students were excited to receive and enjoy the school supplies along with books and games donated to the school," she said of the outpouring of support by the community since the November fire. "Our kids are strong and positive and continue to persevere."

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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