HAIKU — A local elementary school dealing with issues of trespassing and vandalism is looking to install fencing and other security improvement measures for the open and easily accessible campus.

About $7 million in state capital improvement project funds is being proposed for six infrastructure projects at Haiku Elementary School, including fencing installation and classroom renovations to address “hazardous building conditions.”

“The fencing is the number one recommendation for the school,” principal Karen Walker said on Tuesday afternoon in her office. “As much as this might seem like a small thing, it’s going to be a barrier against somebody coming on campus … It’s just that extra added measure.”

Located on the North Shore within the state Department of Education’s Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui Complex Area, Haiku Elementary School has served the community for over 100 years. The campus offers a curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade and has a Head Start preschool. This year, the student body numbers 332 keiki.

In an initial request for CIP funding, Walker wrote that both students and staff would benefit from renovated buildings, site improvements and upgraded technology, as well as secure fencing to deter “outside threats” during and after school hours.

“Vagrancy is probably the scariest, you know, we have people living under the portables. We have found evidence of drug use,” Walker said on Tuesday. “If we don’t feel comfortable and can’t send our kids out safely for recess, then that’s a problem.”

If all or some of the state funding is approved, the fence would be installed along the left side of the fire lane, which is located between Maui County’s Haiku Park and Community Center field and the elementary school’s playground and recess field.

The fence would then wrap around the perimeter of the whole campus, including the upper lot near Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start and early development buildings.

A fence is also being proposed for the school’s community garden fronting the outdoor covered playcourt.

The fence would not impede access to the community field or outdoor covered playcourt, Walker said.

“As much as this is the heart of the community, and we’re trying to find a balance between what was and what really fits, we need to focus on safety and the fence is part of that,” Walker said. “The campus will still be accessible, but the kids’ safety has to come first.”

She is hopeful that the funding will help the public school to offset littering, loitering, vandalism, theft, as well as other incidents that have occurred, such as illegal dumping of vehicles in the parking lots, unleashed neighborhood dogs on the school’s recess field, teenagers partying and fires in the field house during school hours.

Other “random” events that have happened within the past couple years include an unknown man entering the campus hallway and using a student’s bicycle before leaving, Walker said. On some occasions, Maui police have been called to the campus after reports of staff having been threatened by folks trespassing and “causing a commotion” while school is in session.

“We just want to stop that from happening,” said Walker, adding that staff have been “doing a good job” at promoting a safe environment for the students and staff, but could use supporting infrastructure.

The school’s portable classrooms also need renovations, Walker said after a brief campus tour.

Funding was proposed for four rooms to address deteriorating flooring, moldy carpets, compromised structural supports and cracks in the walls and roofs due to frequent Haiku rains, recent flooding events, rodent infestation and age of the buildings.

Stacks of chairs and other items were piled in one classroom on Tuesday because it is currently uninhabitable and used as storage, Walker said.

“We need to make it as safe as we can for our kids because kids can’t learn if it’s not safe, they can’t learn if there’s mold impacting their breathing, teachers can’t teach if they are sick or can’t access the things they need,” she said.

CIP funding would also support upgrades to failing electronic systems, broadband challenges and motion sensor security cameras.

“As much as this school’s community comes together and works really hard to support the kids, because we do get a lot of support, there’s this internal need that we need to get addressed,” she said. “It’s about finding a balance.”

Construction would cost $4 million and another $3 million in equipment. These projects are in alignment with a much larger Haiku Elementary School master plan, Walker said.

Maui Police Department officials have conducted safety training tutorials and assessments with the school’s administration. DOE district superintendents and related committees have also been consulted with in regard to the proposed projects, she said.

Due to an increase in student enrollment, the Accrediting Commission for Schools’ visiting committee reported in 2018-19 that Haiku Elementary staff should “collaboratively prioritize facilities needs, develop a long-range master facilities plan of action and allocate resources accordingly,” according to the committee’s report.

During a Haiku Community Association meeting last month, state Rep. Linda Clark, whose district includes East Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai and Molokini, said that she had requested state funding for fencing and other upgrades.

Clark’s office could not be immediately reached for comment earlier this week; however, the representative said during the meeting that they are “waiting to see what comes back so we can take the next step.”

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.