Feds grant $5.4
million to Central
Oahu schools

The award asks schools, families
and communities to work
together to keep kids safe

By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

The Central Oahu School District is one of just 54 communities across the country that will receive federal grants aimed at preventing violence, and drug and alcohol abuse, among youths.

In his weekly radio address, President Clinton today announced total grant awards of $100 million to the communities so they can build safety nets to catch troubled students in need of help.

The Central district is slated to receive three installments of $1.8 million.

The grants will establish programs affecting students from preschool through the 12th grade at all schools in the district, said former district Superintendent Aileen Hokama, who wrote the grant proposal.

"We want to make sure that kids don't fall through the cracks," said Hokama, now serving as principal of Moanalua Adult Community School.

Among the programs, the grant will allow the district to:

Establish six preschool sites at schools with low test scores, in poverty-stricken areas and with high-attendance problems, to help prepare youngsters to learn.

Provide after-school instruction and activities for middle-school students, a group with few after-school opportunities. "They know they need to belong.... This is a critical period where there is very little community or school support for these kids," Hokama said.

Hire one retired police officer per high school to help school staff with violence prevention.

Set up a system to help coordinate programs and services to meet as many student needs as possible.

Called Hui E Malama, which translates to "a union of caregivers," the system will bring together counselors, teachers, principals, parents and the community.

"Any time a kid is having difficulty, they come to these people.... A lot of kids are in crisis at some point, whether it's a divorce or a death in the family."

Hokama said she applied for the grant after hearing about it from a parent. The catalyst was the district's efforts to comply with the so-called Felix consent decree, which resulted from a federal lawsuit seeking improvements to educational services for special-needs children.

The grant is part of an effort among the U.S. departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services.

Under the grant's requirements, plans were required to address a safe school environment; alcohol, drug and violence prevention and intervention programs; school reform; and safe school policies.

"Our children's health, safety and future success depend on partnerships that pool the strengths of schools, families and community organizations and offer a broad-based preventive approach to violence and drug use," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley said. "These partnerships will also address children's emotional and developmental needs."

Applications were judged on strength, comprehensiveness, viability and likelihood to succeed.

HOW GRANT WILL BE USED Establish six preschool sites at schools with low test scores, in poverty-stricken areas and with high-attendance problems. Provide after-school instruction and activities for middle-school students. Hire one retired police officer per high school to assist school staff with violence prevention. Fund 41 tutors. Implement standards-based education. Set up a system to help coordinate programs and services to meet as many student needs as possible. It will be called Hui E Malama, which translates to "a union of caregivers."