HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0591.021 2020-2022 rl
From: Yun Kim-Smith
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2022 12:14 PM
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To: Council Testimony
Subject: Written Testimony
This letter is directed at HIDOE,but HIDOE falls ander the State of Hawaii and follows its guidelines and of the Hawaii Department
of Health.
Given what we now know in February 2022, there is substantial evidence that Covid-19 not only affects the
unvaccinated, but also the vaccinated. Due to waning vaccine efficacy and the emergence of the Omicron
variant, the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) should and must revise its Covid policies and
procedures regarding students. The current policies and procedures unfairly target unvaccinated students
and further inhibit their education and their participation in school-related activities such as sports, after-
school programs, dances, and other social events. As a result of these Covid policies and procedures,
unvaccinated students are discriminated against and not treated as equally as their vaccinated
counterparts.
List of discrepancies, inconsistencies, and/or discriminatory practices currently in place:
• If an unvaccinated student is contact traced as a "close contact" at school, they are required to
quarantine for 5 days even if they have no symptoms; there is no option to test to stay in school.
0 If a vaccinated student is contact traced as a close contact, as long as they do not have any
symptoms, they are allowed to stay in school without testing.
• If an unvaccinated student athlete is a close contact from another teammate, they are required to
quarantine for 5 days.
0 Vaccinated athletes may continue to participate in sports if there are no symptoms and no
requirement to test.
• Unvaccinated students must request a medical or religious exemption to participate in sports.
Regarding religious exemptions, students must prove their faith/beliefs (how is this not a violation of
one's First Amendment right to freedom of religion?). And if denied, there is no appeal process.
• If an exemption is approved, a student-athlete must test TWICE a week to participate.
Contrarily, state employees, including teachers, are not mandated to be vaccinated
nor are they required to request for an exemption. Further highlighting inconsistencies,
these employees may continue to work with testing ONCE a week.
• Previous to Covid, medical and religious exemptions were given by HIDOE without
interrogation of one's beliefs. Only within this school year did the religious exemption form
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and procedures change. Previously, exempt students were never treated differently from
other students.
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• Last fall, OIA's decision to not allow any spectators adversely affected all students, but when OIA
decided to allow spectators to return, it only allowed vaccinated spectators. There was no allowance
even with proof of a negative test. However, a negative test sufficed for one to travel into Hawaii and
dine at a restaurant or go to the gym; allowances provide by the State of Hawaii and the County of
Honolulu.
o Unvaccinated students were not allowed to attend their school sporting events; even those I
student athletes who were already being tested TWICE a week. Ex: an unvaccinated j
volleyball player could go to practice and compete, but could not attend the school
homecoming football game.
These are continuing discriminatory practices since we now know that COVID variants are no longer
discriminating between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. That said, HIDOE has not considered revising
its policies and procedures regarding COVID given the demonstrable fact that there is no difference
between contraction and transmission given one's vaccination status.
Questions that should be addressed concerning Covid policies and procedures by HIDOE:
• How many vaccinated students have tested positive?
• How many unvaccinated students have tested positive?
• How many "close contacts" became positive cases (regardless of vaccine status)?
• How many healthy children are needlessly quarantining and missing pertinent in-person learning?
• How many children are being negatively impacted by mental health issues, substance abuse issues,
domestic violence, etc?
There needs to be a re-evaluation and risk assessment of what is occurring at the Department of
Education level. With Hawaii schools reopening to full in-person learning in August 2021, schools have
shown they are a safe place for students and staff, even considering the previous surge of cases during
the Delta wave and the most recent Omicron surge last month. Many mainland schools have changed their
school policies as COVID has changed. Some are requiring a "test to stay" option where everyone tests to
stay in school, regardless if there are no symptoms present, while other schools request everyone be
vigilant about symptoms and not send a sick child to school, much like we did pre-COVID. Daily screenings
were also a mitigation procedure Hawaii students and staff used in early 2021 (pre-vaccine rollout) as
schools began to reopen for in-person learning and followed through to the end of that school year with
much success.
At this time, HIDOE can no longer discriminate against unvaccinated students and continue with different
policies and procedures aimed at the unvaccinated students. HIDOE must change course immediately as
time is of the essence when you are a child. HIDOE must revisit and revise its current policies and
procedures to be fair to ALL students. Our children in Hawaii have already endured over TWO years of
disruptive schooling. It is time for HIDOE to stand up for the health and well-being of ALL children and push
for a return to normalcy.
M A Very Concerned Parent
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