Beginning Tuesday, Lahainaluna senior Dylan Kawaiaea will be distance learning at his Kahului home, miles away from his Lahainaluna boarding program, whose boys’ dorm will be temporarily closed due to staff shortages.

This week, students and parents had to choose whether they wanted to revert to distance learning, attend school during daytime hours only or reenroll in their originating public school.

The boarding program oftentimes hosts students from off island and far beyond its Lahaina boundaries.

The change comes as the program is short staffed, which presents “a health and safety issue” as there is not adequate adult male supervision for the boarders, said Lora-lea Grando, the temporary assignment principal at Lahainaluna, in a letter Feb. 12 to parents.

“Temporary measures have been exhausted and are not sustainable,” she said.

Beginning Tuesday until March 20, the boys’ dorm will be closed, including spring break, which is March 14-18.

“We will revisit conditions at that time to determine if the closure needs to be extended and update families,” Grando said.

State Department of Education Communications Director Nanea Kalani said on Friday that four adult male dorm attendants are needed for the program, but there are two vacant positions and two attendants are on leave. She didn’t disclose what type of leave the workers were on.

Kalani said the girls’ dormitory, which has 15 students and is fully staffed with four attendants, is not impacted.

She added that school officials had also been volunteering to help staff the boys dorm, which includes 23 students, including three from Oahu and two from Hana.

In addition to staffing issues, allegations of misconduct have been raised, such as use of illegal drugs in the boarding dormitory, inappropriate use of physical punishment in the form of assigning physical labor to students and hazing of students, the DOE acknowledged in a letter to boarding program parents on Wednesday.

“The allegations are being taken seriously, will be investigated thoroughly, and appropriate actions will be taken,” Complex Area Superintendent Rebecca Winkie said in the letter.

Winkie and the DOE put out the Wednesday letter after an internal memorandum for boarding staff and school administration about the alleged misconduct was “shared on social media.”

Winkie said they wanted boarding parents and students to “have the proper context of this situation.”

She explained that the DOE “immediately initiated investigations” regarding the allegations, but to protect the privacy of students and staff and the integrity of the investigation, she could not disclose details.

Winkie said her area team, with support from DOE’s state office, have been working closely with Grando.

“We all recognize the value and tradition of Lahainaluna’s boarding program and are doing everything we can to support and maintain the program at a high-quality level that our students deserve,” Winkie said.

Parent Anna-Marie Hartman said she recently pulled her two sons who had been in the program for years, as they didn’t feel comfortable without the support of the dorm attendants.

Hartman, a former boarder herself and alumni, has a senior who has been boarding for four years and a sophomore who has been in the program for two years.

“As for the unfortunate context of hazing and discipline actions giving, it has been a constant in the Boarding Department,” Hartman said via Facebook Messenger. “That is where the state, Department of Education, administration, parents and even the students of the program should really try to come together to address these issues.”

She said that boarders having to work is just part of the program.

Hartman would like to see the program survive, noting it is a tradition for the Lahaina community and a tradition for the oldest school west of the Rocky Mountains.

Lahainaluna Boarders Association President Craig Murakami recognizes issues plaguing the program and said that changes in the school’s administration also have an impact.

While the closing of the boys’ dorm may be temporary, he is worried that the closure could lead to boarders going to other schools, especially if there is not a distance learning option in the meantime.

He acknowledged that declining enrollment of boarding school students could also lead to a possible closure of the program.

Murakami this week reached out to state lawmakers who represent the district, state Sen. Roz Baker and Rep. Angus McKelvey, for support. He was waiting to hear back Friday.

“We will help,” Murakami said of the association, which has assisted the program in many ways in the past, including paying for the costs of staff overtime to keep the program open on Sundays some years ago. Due to COVID-19, families pick up the boarding students on the weekends, parents said.

Back in 2014, there were worries over how to keep the program alive with its dwindling enrollment and changes such as the discontinuation of boarding specialty programs, such as a piggery and dairy, due to health and safety concerns and regulations.

Even without some of the past programs, Amber Kawaiaea, Dylan’s mother, said the current program and his participation in football helped her son grow up and become independent.

Dylan, who is president of the boarding department, was able to take care of his school, picking up rubbish after a big football game, and learned irrigation methods as boarders also care for the grounds.

She recalled how Dylan looked out at the campus as he was returning after a break and said, “Oh my gosh, the grass is one we got to work on.”

“It’s so much more than a place to stay,” she said.

She added that her son’s fellow boarders are like family, and they keep in touch even if they are not in school. The program also keeps the students interacting with each other, such as playing football in a field, rather than logging on to a screen.

“I am saddened by the closing of the boys dorms,” Amber Kawaiaea said on the site change.org, where supporters have started a petition to keep the dorms open. She also commended the staff but said it’s the students that are suffering.

As of Friday afternoon, the online petition had close to 1,300 signatures, including former boarders, alumni, Lahaina residents and school supporters. The goal is 1,500.

Without going into detail, Amber Kawaiaea said on the petition that her prayer is that the school continues “to weed out the toxicity and that it will be great again.”

The state DOE is also actively recruiting attendants. Qualified and interested candidates may apply at bit.ly/LahainalunaJob.

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