In Pearl City, the first Hawaiian Immersion (Kaiapuni) school was established at Waiau Elementary: Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Waiau. Today our school continues to thrive. However, even as the oldest program, it still has no intermediate or high school options for students in the area. Our keiki start their educational journey in Hawaiian Immersion programs, but upon reaching intermediate and high school levels, they find themselves with no option but to leave their home district. With no Kaiapuni programs at Highlands Intermediate or Pearl City High School, families are forced to make difficult decisions—either drive long distances every day to schools in town or Kapolei, or shift their children into English-medium schools, disrupting their cultural and language education.

After the 1896 ban on the Hawaiian language, our language was nearly lost. Hawaiian Immersion programs are vital to preserving our ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and cultural identity. Kaiapuni education does more than teach Hawaiian. It instills deep cultural understanding, strengthens identity, and keeps our heritage alive.

Establishing Kaiapuni pathways at Highlands Intermediate and Pearl City High School would allow students to continue their immersion education within their own community. This expansion would support families, sustain the progress students make in their early years, and enrich the entire district. Without intermediate and high school options in our area, we risk losing the momentum built during their foundational years.

We are calling on the Department of Education and our Complex Area Superintendent, CAS Fajardo, to establish intermediate and high school Kaiapuni programs within our district. By signing this petition, you are supporting the creation of a complete K–12 pathway for our keiki—ensuring they can thrive in a learning environment that honors and strengthens their cultural and linguistic heritage.

Please join us in advocating for our keiki’s educational future and for the preservation of our Hawaiian language and culture. Your signature shows our schools how important this issue is to our community.