Children

A bill that would mandate dyslexia-sensitive screenings across the department is moving through the state Legislature. A DOE administrator said it is already looking to move all elementary schools to universal dyslexia-sensitive screenings by the 2027-2028 school year.

At the end of last year, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began slashing the number of vaccines recommended for children. Because of this, the state Legislature is considering a measure that would preserve insurance coverage for preventative service recommendations before the changes were made.

A universal school meals program has been proposed at the Legislature before, and itʻs usually met with pushback from state Department of Education officials due to concerns about the logistics and costs.

Office of Hawaiian Education Director Kauʻi Sang talks about the Kaiapuni placement request process; HPR’s Maui Nui reporter Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on a Hawaiian language immersion classroom on Molokaʻi

Ed Noh, the executive director of the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission, said enrollment in the 40 charter schools across the state is trending up, while enrollment in traditional public schools is trending down.

Hundreds of high schoolers across Oʻahu gathered after school Friday to protest recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violence. The student-led gathering gained popularity on social media.

A new youth-to-youth crisis line just launched in Hawaiʻi to support mental health for young people — and 12 trained youth from Maui are volunteering. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story.

Supporters of the bill say that youth mental health in Hawaiʻi has gotten worse over the past decade — with heightened anxiety and depression surrounding COVID-19 and the Lahaina wildfire — but they believe there aren’t enough resources to match the need.

Writer and illustrator Erzsi Kuba Palko spoke with HPR’s Lillian Tsang about her keiki book “Under the ʻŌhiʻa Tree.”

The state's Executive Office on Early Learning reported that there are 2,275 available seats for preschool-aged keiki. But as of this month, there are close to 5,000 applications.