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Public school year officially ends May 28

Instructions offered on refunds, returns, pickups of personal items

The Maui News 

The strangest of public school years — with students currently engaged in online instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic — officially will come to an end May 28, the state Department of Education announced Wednesday.

Students have not been in their classrooms since March 13 with the beginning of spring break. Instruction has since gone online.

Sports, proms, concerts have all been canceled. Graduations are going virtual or through drive-thru.

The department said it continues to work with schools on plans for summer programming and currently has 18 sites that will be offering summer school via distance learning, as well as E-School. It will finalize plans by the end of the month.

“As we close out the school year, I want to thank our students and families for their patience and resilience throughout this unprecedented journey,” said state schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto. “I also want to thank our teachers, staff and leadership for their innovation, collaboration and commitment in supporting our school communities beyond the classroom, through grab-and-go meal service, telehealth work, door-knocking, device distribution and more.

“Together, we have stepped up on behalf of our haumana to deliver on what the power and promise of public education means to this community, this state and this nation.”

Schools have reached out directly to parents to arrange for the pickup of any supplies that were left behind when school facilities closed on March 19, as well as the return of any borrowed public school property, such as library books and equipment.

Due to the abrupt closure of school facilities, refunds are being provided for services that were prepaid and not received for transportation and after-school programs. They include:

• A-Plus after-school programs. Parents and legal guardians will receive a prorated tuition refund for March (refunds were calculated based on the extended spring break and two school closure days in the month). Refund amount information and the refund request form is available at www.hawaiipublicschools.org/DOE%20Forms/Emergencies/A+COVIDRefunds.pdf. The request should be submitted to the appropriate site coordinator or private provider to initiate the refund process.

• School bus. Coupon holders will receive refunds based on the unused portion of paid bus pass coupons purchased on or after March 1. Unused bus coupons must be returned to the school office from which they were purchased in order to be eligible for a refund. Refund checks will be mailed directly to the payee of record.

For new students, an online registration system is available for enrollment in the upcoming school year. The system allows for the enrollment of new students who were not enrolled at a public or charter school during the 2019-20 school year. For more information and instructions, go to bit.ly/HIDOE-enroll.

Student enrollment forms and required documents still will be accepted by mail. Parents and guardians are encouraged to contact their school for office hours and additional instructions. Student transfers and withdrawals as well as charter school enrollment will need to be addressed directly with the respective school.

Public school COVID-19 updates will continue to be posted on the department’s website at www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/MediaRoom/PressReleases/Pages/COVID-19-Information-Updates.aspx and on social media.

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