School Policies & Procedures

School Policies & Procedures 

Welcome to Hokulani Elementary School. We ask that you familiarize yourselves with the following policies and procedures to ensure a safe and quality experience for all.

SCHOOL DAY
Our school day for students begins at 8:00 a.m. daily and ends at 2:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. An official school day is within the period of 15 minutes before and after the close of classes. Since there is no supervision before and after these hours, students should not come to school before 7:30 a.m. nor remain on campus after school unattended. Moiliili Community Center morning child care is available at 6:30 a.m. or after school care is available through A+ if you cannot drop off or pick up your child(ren) within these periods.

OFFICE HOURS/VISITORS

Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. Please be sure to check into the office first before proceeding to your child's classroom. To ensure a safe campus, we will issue a school I.D. badge to visitors when they sign in at the office.
 
At the end of the day, should you wish to wait for your child we ask that you do so in the main walkway away from the classrooms. This will minimize disruption to the classroom instruction and distraction of the students.
 
We appreciate your understanding and willingness to help ensure Hokulani remains a safe school for everyone.

A+ AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
The Kama'aina Kids after school program is for families where both parents work during school hours. Applications are available in the school office. Please call the A+ director directly at 733-4794 for questions.

BUS SERVICES
Mass Transit Line provides daily bus service on school days as long as there are a sufficient number of bus riders. Bus #14 starts from the top of St. Louis Heights (Peter St.) at 7:30 a.m. and arrives at Hokulani around 7:40 a.m. In the afternoon, the bus leaves school at 2:25 p.m. daily (except at l:45 on Wed.).

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
OFFICE (PCNC, PSAP, SASA, Counselor, Principal) 733-4789
HEALTH AIDE 735-6239
STUDENT SERVICES COORDINATOR 735-6266
A+ AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM 733-4794

ATTENDANCE
The following State guidelines were established to provide uniformity regarding school attendance: 1) Early departures are students who leave before half of the school day is over (i.e., 11 a.m.). These students will be marked ABSENT for the day; 2) Late arrivals are students who arrive at school after attendance for that day has been taken, but before half the school day is over (i.e., before 11 a.m.). These students will be marked TARDY. Students arriving after 11 a.m. will be marked ABSENT.

TARDIES
The tardy bell rings at 8:05 each day. Regardless of the reason, whenever a child arrives after 8:05 a.m., he or she must go to the office for a tardy slip before going to the classroom. After the 10th tardy &/or absence, a letter will be sent home from the administrator, or a conference requested with school staff.
 
RELEASE DURING SCHOOL HOURS
If it is necessary to take your child out of school, a student pass for leaving campus will be issued by the office upon receipt of a written request or phone call by the parent. Please have your child bring the note directly to the office. Students may also be released from school for the purpose of observing religious days when such release is requested in writing by a parent or guardian. Forms are available at the school office and should be filled out one week prior to the religious day(s).

HOMEWORK FOR ABSENTEES
Please request homework by calling the office between 7:30-9:00 a.m. To allow teachers ample time to prepare work for your child, homework requests will not be taken after 10 a.m. You may pick up the homework left on the office counter between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. The office staff will not be able to send homework to A+ or home with siblings.
 
HEALTH ROOM NOTICE
The health aide cannot dispense over-the-counter and non-prescription medicine. All medications given by the school health aide in the health room requires a signed consent by a physician, parent and school public health nurse. Contact the school health aide for the medication consent form (PHN/SH 36).

Release of Students from School (School Health Assistant Manual Section 2-3-1, revised 7/2017) – The following list of probable illness or infection suggests the need for contacting a student’s parent(s)/legal guardian(s) to pick student up from school:
• Redness, swelling, drainage of the eye;
• Unusual spots/rash with fever or itching;
• Crusty, bright yellow, swollen, tender, red or open draining skin sores;
• Diarrhea (more than two loose stools a day);
• Vomiting;
• Pain with urination;
• Abdominal pain;
• Toothache;
• Headache with fever;
• Fever greater than 100° F;
• Extreme tiredness or lethargy; and/or
• Unusual behavior.
If parent/legal guardian is unable to pick up student from school, health room will contact and release to those listed on the emergency card.

HEALTHY CLASSROOM TREATS
We request that parents speak to classroom teachers prior to bringing in treats to celebrate a special event. So that teachers can plan accordingly, it would be helpful to clear this at least two school days ahead of the date. Students should bring the items with them when arriving for school to minimize disruptions to the classroom. Due to the limited staff in the office, deliveries to the office should be used only for emergencies. Thank you ahead of time for your understanding.

CHAPTER 19 AND CONTRABAND
Hokulani strives to educate our children to make good choices and respect oneself and others. It is our goal to help our youngsters develop into responsible, caring, and contributing future leaders.
 
The Department of Education is committed to providing students with optimal learning conditions. However, when a student’s behavior violates established rules of the department, state or local criminal laws, or the student willfully disobeys legitimate directives of department personnel, the department may take appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with Chapter 19 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules.
Chapter 19 Offenses:
Class A: Prohibited by State Law including assault, possession, use or sale of weapons or drugs, burglary property damage, threatening, etc.
Class B: Prohibited by State Law including, disorderly conduct, gambling, theft, harassment trespassing, etc.
Class C: Prohibited by DOE rules such as cutting school, insubordination, possession/use of laser pointers, smoking, etc.
Class D: Prohibited by school rules including possession of contraband, etc.

Chapter 19 also includes Act 90, which states that any student in possession of a dangerous weapon, switchblade knife, or improperly used knife, intoxicating liquor or illicit drugs while attending school, may be excluded for up to one calendar year. Under Chapter 19 "any student who is found to be in possession of a firearm while attending school shall be excluded from attending school for one calendar year.”
Per city ordinance, “It is unlawful for a minor to purchase, possess or use any pepper spray in the city.” Pepper spray is a contraband item and is a class D offense under Chapter 19.
At Hokulani, students are asked to not bring the following:
a. Money, other than what is needed that day.
b. Toys, toy guns, sling shots, sharp objects, or any kind of object that might not be safe or may cause disruptions.
c. Anything valuable, expensive, or breakable including CD players, trading cards or expensive jewelry.
d. Pets or animals.

TRAFFIC SAFETY - DRIVING WITH ALOHA
As a friendly reminder, we need your cooperation to help ease the traffic congestion. During morning drop off, proceed within the coned zone fronting the Administration Building. Pull as close as possible to the curb, stopping only briefly to allow for a steady flow of traffic. As a courtesy, JPOs and staff will assist with opening and closing car doors. We ask that children not be dropped off in the middle of the parking lot to prevent children from darting in between cars to get to the safety of the sidewalk.

After school you may double park in front of the teacher's cars that are in marked stalls on the ewa side of the lot as long as you remain in your car; please do not leave your car unattended when you are double parked. Parking is also allowed along the island in the center of the lot marked by yellow or in stalls as they become available at the end of the day. To avoid initial afterschool parking congestion, parents may wish to pick up older children at about 2:30 (or at 1:45 on Wednesdays). This will be after the buses leave and traffic thins out. Our parking attendants are volunteers who may need to direct cars to ease the flow of traffic. We would greatly appreciate your cooperation in this effort. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering for this important effort.

Parking in the following areas is prohibited:
· The fire lane and driveway along the Administration Building – Lane must remain open for emergency vehicles, deliveries, trash pickup, and private bus services. Parking in this area is reserved for staff only.
· Along the Diamond Head curb marked in red. The city bus and community vans drop off and pick up students daily.
 
SPECIAL EVENTS AND SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
· We ask that persons with a disability contact the office to make arrangements for accessibility to any school event at least 10 working days prior to the event. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate requests.
· Do not park at Kanewai Park – you may be tagged or towed away.
· Paid parking is available at the structure near the Hawaiian Studies building on Dole Street.
· The Koali Road lot is only opened for certain school events. To access the lot that is located beyond C-Building, proceed onto Waialae Ave. Head west and turn right onto Koali Road, just past the Public Storage Company building. Bear to your left and drive parallel to the stream. The lot is located at the very end of the street. Please drive slowly and exercise caution as this is a narrow lane in a quiet residential area.

PLANNING AHEAD
Students should be responsible for preparing and taking homework and personal belongings as they leave their classrooms for the day. Custodians, room cleaners, and office staff are discouraged from opening locked classrooms to retrieve forgotten items.

Please mark family calendars and remember to pack a sack lunch for field trips; unfortunately, the kitchen is unable to provide sack lunches for students.

MEAL TIME PROGRAM

Hokulani uses a computerized meal tracking system. Each student’s account is like a personal debit account for purchasing school meals.

Money may be deposited in your child’s account at the office during the day between 7:30-4:00. At the end of each month, we recommend sending a minimum of $55 per child. If you prefer, amounts for more than the month will be accepted. Add $22 for 20 breakfasts at $1.10 each. Students who qualify for reduced meals will pay 40 cents for lunch and 30 cents for breakfast.

LUNCH AND BREAKFAST PRICES
Hot meals are currently prepared on the Kaimuki High School campus and delivered to Hokulani. Breakfast is served every morning from 7:30-7:45. Lunch is served from 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m. for Kindergarten through Grade 2, and from 12:00 pm -12:30 pm for Grades 3-5. Parents are welcome to have breakfast with their children. However due to limited spaces, please park on the streets surrounding the school only.

Breakfast (grades K-8) $1.10
Breakfast (second meal & adult) $2.40
Lunch (grades K-8) $2.50
Lunch (second meal & adult) $5.50
 
"This Institution Is An Equal Opportunity Provider."

FREE/REDUCED MEAL APPLICATION
Application forms are accepted at anytime during the school year for the free and reduced lunch program. Eligibility is based on gross income of the family. Students who qualified last year will have a 30 day grace period; however, a new application must be submitted each year in order to continue beyond the 30 days. Families who receive free/reduced meals benefits will be randomly selected to verify their income.
 
Information related to verification of income will be sent at the beginning of school. Students may be eligible to receive FREE lunch and breakfast, or REDUCED meals.

LUNCH LOAN PROCEDURES
Hokulani's lunch loan program is aligned with the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines:
· Students may charge up to 3 lunches per year as a loan from the cashier.
· Once money is redeposited into the account, the loan will be deducted from the new balance
· If you have more than one child at Hokulani, students who are short can borrow from the accounts of other family members.
· The school will maintain a list of students needing a loan.
· After 5 loans, or failure to reimburse the office, parents will be called to bring in money for their child.
· Lunch loans are not available during the months of May and June.

HEALTH ROOM NOTICE
Due to the increase of prescribed medication being given by the health aide, over-the-counter and non-prescription medicine cannot be given in the Health Room. All medications given by the school health aide in the health room will require a signed consent by a physician, parent and school public health nurse. Contact the school health aide for the medication consent form (PHN/SH 36).

Milk Allergies:
Students who are allergic to milk must present a doctor's certificate to the School Food Service Manager annually. As a courtesy, the cafeteria will provide juice as a substitute for those students. Even if your child was on the list the previous year, you must obtain a new certificate for the current year.
 
If your child is allergic to certain foods, requests for alterations to school meals require completion of a “Medical Statement for Disabled Child Special Needs” form by the child’s medical physician. Modifications are only allowed after a review and approval by School Food Services.

Parents may contact Hokulani at 733-4789 if you wish to file a complaint regarding the school’s food services. Calls will be referred to the Department of Education’s School Food Services Division. If complaints are not satisfactorily rectified at the State office, parents should call (202)-720-5964 or write:
USDA, Director of Civil Rights Room 326-W, Whitten Building
1400 Independence Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
DOE Health Requirements