Colonel Tro, deputy superintendent testifying on behalf of Department of Education. Um, department stands in written testimony. We are we we support the intent. Um the bill is necessary because this is already in effect today. We can already revise our policies, procedures, and safety measures, which we will do. But to to already manage food services and safety, we're doing we're practicing what this bill is already saying. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. testimony, written testimony from John White in support. Members, is there anyone else here wishing to testify? Angela, please. Aloha, chair, vice chair, and the education committee. Angela Melanie Young testifying on behalf of CARES um and in strong support while providing comments. So um do is being tasked tasked with developing and implementing safety training for cafeteria student helpers. And if you read the committee report, the House education chair comments, "Students who volunteer to help in school cafeterias are not given sufficient safety training prior to volunteering and are not under constant supervision by trained personnel during their time volunteering.
Without the proper safety training and supervision, student volunteers may unknowingly place themselves in danger when interacting with potentially hazardous or dangerous equipment." Um so that's from the um chair from the house education committee. So um I'm going to provide a comment to say because food safety is a responsibility within the purview of do um perhaps this task should be delegated to do as well. It should be a collaboration of DO and DOE. Um because currently DO has a food sanitation branch and um the instructors or food sanitarians um have extensive field experience and provide real world insight. Um and the participants are usually chefs, cooks, dieticians, manager managers, um stewards, waiters, waitresses, um food trucks, farmers market vendors. They have to go to the class to get certified. Okay, Angela. Oh, okay. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else here to testify on this mission? Questions on this?
I have a quick question for Julie. So, Kurt, you're saying that you folks are already doing this. You already have safety measures in place. Yes. How many students have gotten hurt by doing cafeteria duties that you're aware of? Um, I don't have a specific number. I'm aware that some some accidents have occurred in the past. I can get you that number. Yeah. I mean, and we have a testimony submitted where a student was not even wearing shoes. Is that allowed in the case? That is not going to put you that needs that needs more oversight. Yeah. So, again, um, you say that it's already being done and you don't need this. It's like, well, I mean, who's going to monitor? Who's monitoring and making sure that our students are safe? They can't even require the student to say, you know, you need to put on shoes because he hurt his Achilles heel according to this and couldn't play sports and so forth.
And I'm not sure what the other other accidents, so-called accidents and he was doing he was doing a job that wasn't even something that the student should be doing, right? Was a union job. So again, um it's one thing to say you have these safety measures and these training. It's another thing that there's no oversight. there's no accountability. Um he was not given any received any render aid. I mean there's a lot of violation just this one accident or mishap. I really sad. It's incumbent on us as leadership to enforce to to make sure that our food services managers and cafeteria managers are are enforcing what is already in place. So, can you provide us with a report as to based on this accident as well as any others on what what you folks ended up doing? Was there any recommend? Was there any additional training?
Was there I mean, what just like, oh, too bad it was an accident. Sorry. I I know in that particular case, the principal and and the food services manager was was talked to. how we can follow up as to specific actions taken. That's what you're asking for. Yeah. And and also how many accidents and the nature of it? Yeah. So my question Kurt is is there a specific uh rule for um all of your schools for your cafeteria helpers? there is a procedure and then there's a um HR that we need to adapt by that. So you're right the in terms of putting it top of mind and enforcing and retraining and and and pointing out these thing that's something that's incumbent on us chapter 37 the school lunch program and then we have our own internal policies for the student helpers. So when was the last time that was updated?
It's been a it's been a while. So uh like I said we this is a good reminder for us to continue to keep this top of mind and updated which the department will do. Thank you. Further questions members? Thank you. Okay. U moving on to House Bill 388 relating to education adopts the national instructional materials accessibility standard. requires the Department of Education to obtain instructional materials in access accessible formats for eligible students to testify. Superintendent, please. Hello, Chair Kadani, Vice Chair Mado Kim, and member of the committee, Mr. Sakurai, director in the in the office of curriculum and instructional support. Uh the the department stands on his written testimony offering comments um on this measure and we stand by for questions. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. Testifying for the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, James Gashel, please. Thank you.
Uh chair, vice chair, and members. I'm James Gashel representing National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii. Um now this bill is really important. it uh as it comes to you from the house, it was amended to um slightly narrow the definition of print instructional materials to get down to just the textbooks that the the school buys that students use and and related core materials. So, it leaves out bulletin boards, posters, maps, graphics, um, handouts of all kinds, and we know those are instructional materials, but this bill now doesn't speak to them. It did in the form that it was introduced in the Senate SB 108. So, the House narrowed it up a little bit. National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii submitted some amendments that would bring it back to emphasize both print instructional materials and other instructional materials which I listed um some of them and of course there's audiovisisual as well and digital now when I went to school it was just print textbooks that's all it was but it's different now so we urge you to come back with offering or accepting amendments that cover all instructional materials and mahalo for hearing this bill.
Thank you, James. Members, questions. Thank you, James. Next to testify for the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, Hawaii, Representative Tabitha Mitchell. Aloha. Thank you, Chair, for the opportunity to testify today. I brought with me an example. Um, my name is Tabitha Mitchell. I'm a parent of a blind child and I also serve the state of Hawaii and I support parents throughout all of the islands with their blind kids. And um I know it's very common for the parents to kind of understand the technology and and the tools and the things that we talk about when we talk about educating blind kids. I have five kids and Emmy is my only um blind daughter and so everybody else is cited in our family. So this is a whole new industry for us, a whole new level of understanding. So, I brought with me today a textbook that is one of the the textbooks that she uses in class and it will it's kind of here just to illustrate for you guys what the difference is and and the importance and the value.
And I'm just going to show you a graph. And so, this is a tactile graph that is in a textbook. And so, as you can see the illustration there, it's put under their fingertips so that they can read this graph. And this is a very different interpretation than if someone is just telling you what that graph says. So this graph actually uh represents I believe the age of mothers and the onset of Down syndrome if I'm not mistaken. And so this is just a I just wanted to bring this as an opportunity to show you guys that as as parents of blind kids, we're in the trenches honestly. And so we're trying to try to supplement and to bring education into the kids using whatever tools that we have. And quite honestly in the education system the books being provided in their classroom that is in their language that they can use is just very basic and fundamental and we struggle to just get the books that our daughter needs in her education.
And I know that the other parents throughout Hawaii have the same struggles. So that's why I wanted to come and testify. I'm available for questions and thank you very much for hearing this bill. Thank you. Members questions. I don't have a question, but I just want to share that when I was first elected the House of Representatives, I served with a blind representative, Representative Tense Tom. And um this the legislature didn't provide anything special. We were all treated the same. He had his own little um braille typewriter. He had to type all the bills, everything, the testimony, they had to transcribe it and type it all into braille for him. Not his staff had to do that. And yes, so I got to see how difficult it would be for somebody to be able to do what we do. They're not cited and these materials were not provided for him.
He has to provide but he did an excellent job doing so. But so we hear you. Thank you. Your testimony. Thank you members. Further questions, comments. Next testifier, Emory Mitchell Butler. He is a blind student at Kalah Hill High School. [Music] Um, good afternoon. My name is Emry Mitchell Butler and I don't know where my mic is. All right. My name is Emry Mitchell Butler and I am a, as she said, blind student at Kalo High School over on the Windward side. Um, and well, textbooks are extremely important to me. I read them a lot. I read them more than I should, but I I appreciate the ability to look backward and review past units and and look forward at future ones. And I'm not always provided that opportunity. Um, just as a an example, um, I never received a textbook for, uh, nth grade biology, chemistry, physics, both of my Spanish classes, and I didn't receive my AP biology textbook until second semester as long as my as well as my trigonometry textbook until second semester.
So, something is very wrong with the system and I, it's no fault of any particular person. In fact, um the teachers and staff surrounding me have done an excellent job of accommodating and for example my AP biology teacher is very good or has been very good at at describing various graphs and diagrams that weren't that I didn't have because I didn't have the textbook until very recently. Um and uh I also wanted to point out the importance of other kinds of instructional materials. For example, last semester I took Modern History of Hawaii, which is a required course for every student in Hawaii um in order to graduate. And there were lots of posters on the walls. It was incredibly informational. Unfortunately, I didn't get those posters. And again, I don't fault her at all. She's very busy and she actually did an amazing job of telling me of all those things on the wall.
But it was very disappointing that I didn't get access to them unless I asked. and they weren't considered a a required instructional material even though every student except me had access to them. So, thank you for the opportunity to testify and I als I'm in support of this bill and I'm support in full support of the amendments proposed by the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii. Please consider them and thank you for hearing this bill. Thank you, Emily. Members questions. Thank you, Emily. Next to testify, Brandon Young, also a blind student. Uh, good afternoon. Um, thank you for hearing our our bill this afternoon. Um, so I'm not a student in the Department of Education right now, but I did go through the of education. And so, um, I would mostly just stand on my written testimony. Um, I am in favor of this bill.
Um, getting accessible material for blind students is very important. Um, and they are often left behind and so it's a struggle to constantly be keeping up. Um so this is an important measure. Um there's some amendments that the different bills have and we look forward with uh passing this bill forward and we're in support of the measure. Thank you so much. Thank you Brandon questions. We also have about 20 written comments in support. questions. Angela and we have one minute because we are running out of time. We have to be out of here by 4:40. I don't think we're going to make it first. Thank you for your patience. Angela Melody Young testifying on behalf of CARES in strong support. Um so the um idea act requires public schools to make available um to all eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public educ umation in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual needs.
Um and the purpose of this is so that blind students can access material. Um so according to the ADA, its provisions for disability rights and um it kind of outlines that um communicating effectively with people with disabilities is a goal. However, you know, it's kind of just the nature of disabilities that it's frustrating because disabled people um are not um communicating in the same language as regular people. Oh, okay. So um I'm just going to conclude and say that um when the ADA is implemented correctly um for disabled people it should achieve a over sense overall sense of well-being um and um yeah it should also help them achieve a sense of dignity. So thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you Angelo. members questions. Just just a quick quick comment. Um, you know, I wasn't I wasn't here real quick. Yeah, I wasn't here all through the beginning, but you know, I just I just feel bad because we just take advantage that we always productive and survive and not knowing this and thank you guys for educating me and my colleagues, but I didn't realize how bad it was that it you know, we we we leaving you guys out and um you know, I sorry for that and u I'm glad to be educated and thank you guys for educating me.
Appreciate it. Thank you, Chair. Um, moving on to House Bill 1046 relating to educational health services replaces the term school health aid. It's school health assistance to reflect recent changes to the job title to testify. Superintendent, please. Hello, Cherani. Vice Chair Kim, members of the committee, Keith Aayashi, superintendent, testifying on behalf of the Department of Education. The department stands on its written testimony in support of this measure. Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify. Thank you, Superintendent. Testify Kenneth B, director, Department of Health. Aloha. I'm Joan Takamorei, public health nursing branch chief. On behalf of Dr. Can I think for the department of health?
We stand on our written testimony and support and I'm available for any questions. Thank you very much. Members questions. We have two written testimonies in support. Moving on. House Bill 1329 relating to education required Department of Education to work with certain organizations to develop and implement an active shooter training program in all public schools under the jurisdiction of the department. Testify superintendent please. [Music] Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, committee members. Colonel Turo, deputy superintendent, department stand written testimony in support of this bill.
Uh we're happy to answer any questions that you may have. Thank you. Thank you, Ivon Lau, interim executive director state public charges. Chair, vice chair, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. Um, we offer our our support for this bill and we offer comments and simply to ask that our charter schools not be left out. They also need support in this very important measure as well. Thank you. Written testimony, one in support, one in opposition. Members questions of the testifiers. Moving on to our last item on the agenda. House Bill 55 requires the Department of Education to establish grant programs to provide funds for the planning and implementation of community schools. To testify, superintendent, please. Aloha Chair Kanani, Vice Chair Mako Kim, and members of the committee. Cara Taniura, interimm assistant superintendent, testifying on behalf of the Department of Education. We stand on our written testimony in support of the intent and with we offer some comments as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. Osatu Jr. President HSTA Moore speaking on behalf of Osatoui Jr. President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. The HSA stands in support of this bill. The NEA has worked over 10 years state I mean nationwide with over a thousand community schools and it works. It it would work. So thank you so much for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. Lei deputy attorney general. Good afternoon, Chair Kani, Vice Chair Kim, members, and Huchi Department of the Attorney General. As stated in our uh testimony, the bill does not state what monies are to be used to fund the grant program. If general funds are to be used, we've um provided some suggested language in our testimony. I'm available for questions. Thank you. Thank you, Ann. Next to testify, Jennifer Masatani, testifying for Hawaii After School. Hi, Chair Kadani.
Chair Mako Kim and members of the committee. I'm Jennifer Mosatutani testifying on behalf of the Hoya After School Alliance in support of HB55. We stand on our written testimony and ask that you consider revising the bill to make it less prescriptive. Also just want to offer some quick comments that community schools is a proven time-tested strategy that can bring forth short-term results like improving family engagement and attendance and decreasing behavioral referrals. It is also proven to show long-term results like closing the achievement gap, improving academic scores and graduation rates. And I just will share a couple quick examples of impact from the continent. So first, Cincinnati's community schools were able to close achievement gap between black and white students by 10% in 9 years. And then in Durham public schools in North Carolina, they found that teacher turnover rate dropped from a high of 32% to 5% over seven years.