Senate Minority Leader Kurt Fevella (District 19 – ‘Ewa Beach, Ocean Pointe, ‘Ewa by Gentry, Iroquois Point, portion of ‘Ewa Villages) recently sent a letter to Governor David Ige requesting the presence of law enforcement officers at Department of Education (DOE) schools and programs for the 2022-2023 school year.  

In his letter, Senator Fevella writes, “I ask that Hawai‘i’s Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Public Safety (DPS) immediately work on a plan for the beginning of the next 2022-2023 school year to assign law enforcement officers to serve alongside with existing security personnel at DOE schools and programs.” 

Senator Fevella notes that the DOE submitted testimony during this year’s Legislative session explaining that there are no security staff assigned to any of the DOE’s elementary schools or pre-kindergarten programs. While there are school resource officers, security officers and attendants assigned at certain DOE intermediate and high schools throughout the state, Senator Fevella has learned from principals and school staff of schools in his district that they don’t feel properly trained to handle a lockdown scenario.  

The senator requests that Governor Ige give his endorsement and directive for the DOE to work with the Sheriff Division of the Department of Public Safety for sheriffs to spend a portion of their work day at each state prekindergarten program and every DOE elementary, middle/intermediate and high school during school campus hours and while students are on campus grounds. 

He further writes that, “In light of the world we live in today, it is crucial that law enforcement officers, such as the State sheriffs, work with existing school resource officers, security officers and attendants on all DOE school campuses because as law enforcement officers they are trained to assess, identify and take protective action when potential dangers occur by the presence of individuals who are not authorized to be on school campuses.”