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have a voice there and, if necessary, we can address a contested case at that level. Earlier on <br />your agenda you guys heard about a contested case. There’s information that’s stated, <br />overstated, just taken out of context. The community will continue to have a voice at the State <br />Land Use level. So if you have any other questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer them. <br /> <br />AU: Any questions for the testifier? No, okay. Ms. Lee Loy, who’s next? You guys are the <br />applicant, we have to go in order. But please state your name and where you reside. <br /> <br />THATCHER: Aloha. My name is John Thatcher. I reside in Kaumana. And I’m not going to <br />read all of my testimony, just a portion of it, so bear with me. You won’t be hearing from our <br />students today, any of our current students, and I don’t think you’ll be hearing from too many <br />from the school parents. These meetings have given our students that have attended a real <br />glimpse of how County government works in action. It does sadden me to say that some of our <br />students feel intimidated by some of those who have given public testimony. Several of these <br />students live in Kaumana and face a barrage of hateful signs every day. New signs have <br />appeared recently with cartoon characters on them, Dr. Seuss character. Imagine one of our <br />kindergarten student who lives up here, he’s seeing the cartoon character and a message “No <br />Connections in Kaumana.” That same student has been making snowflakes for the Sandy Hook <br />Elementary. So we choose not to subject our students to any more abusive testimony. The level <br />of harassment has escalated to the point where two of our staff have restraining orders against the <br />creator of the “No Connections in Kaumana” signs. <br /> <br />Parents choose to send their children to charter schools. Start-up charter schools are not defined <br />by geographic boundaries. Why shouldn’t parents from East Hawai‘i be allowed to choose to <br />send their children to a school with programs focused on agriculture and sustainability? This <br />Kaumana site is former Crown land. At the time of annexation, the former Crown lands were <br />ceded to the US Federal Government. When Hawai‘i became a state, the lands were transferred <br />to the State. The federal act authorizing the transfer required that the lands be used for given <br />purposes, or at least one of the five purposes. The first being support a public education. <br /> <br />I sincerely hope that this Commission take the high road and send this matter to the State Land <br />Use Commission. I’d also like to stress a few other points that I made in previous testimony, and <br />I won’t go through those. <br /> <br />Again I ask, are the issues being brought up to halt the development of Connections in Kaumana <br />campus only going to be centered around the “not in my backyard” neighbors living on one-acre <br />agriculture lots? Or will the Windward Planning Commission follow the goals and policies <br />specified in the General Plan? Thank you. <br /> <br />AU: Any questions for the testifier? Commissioners, no? Okay. Who’s next? Please state your <br />name, where you reside, and please speak into the microphone. <br /> <br />MORRIS: Good morning, Chairman Au and Members of the Windward Planning Commission. <br />My name is Monica Morris, Deputy Attorney General. I’m here to represent Connections <br />Charter School. My primary role as a Deputy Attorney General is to advise and counsel and <br /> 5 ATTACHMENT C <br /> <br /> <br />