Teachers hold signs to call for stricter COVID safety protocols in public schools

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Members of the teachers union demonstrated near the state office building in Kapolei on Tuesday afternoon, calling on the Education Department to do more to keep students safe.

Union leaders said they are pushing the state Department of Education to improve COVID safety protocols in classrooms. So far this month, the DOE reported more than 600 infections among students and staff.

Schools, however, note that the vast majority of those cases are not linked to spread in schools. The interim schools superintendent also said staff and parents are doing a good job at reinforcing safety protocols.

Hawaii State Teachers Association President Osa Tui Jr. said it’s simply not enough.

“In some of our communities, the transmission of COVID is so prevalent,” he said.

“And maybe for some they need to convert to hybrid model where half students are on campus and half are doing asynchronous learning online.”

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HSTA added that rather than the state Department of Health, school administrators have been adding contact tracing to their daily duties.

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