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Kokua Line

By June Watanabe

Highlands school promises
to take better care with flags

Question: Highlands Intermediate School in Pearl City has a questionable practice when it comes to raising the state and U.S. flags. From my house I can see the school's flagpole and notice that on some days, the flags are raised, and other days, no flags are in sight. The negligence extends to the weekends when the school forgets to bring down the flags and they are left flying for two days. After calling the school to inquire as to the reason for this inconsistency, the showed indifference and have not made any effort to take corrective action or even acknowledge their oversight. I think it is disrespectful that the school does not raise and lower the flags properly each day. I hope that Highlands Intermediate will note that something as simple as displaying our national and state flags will remind our youth that they are lucky to be part of this great nation and should take efforts to show the respect which is due.

Answer: Highlands Intermediate Principal Jane Himeda acknowledged that the flags sometimes are not raised or lowered as they should be, but said she'll see that the school has "a more strictly monitored program."

"We have volunteer students who have taken on this additional responsibility of raising and the lowering (of the flags)," she said. "They're pretty reliable kids, but again, they're kids. Sometimes they'll forget to do it, and sometimes they'll forget to take (the flags) down."

Himeda said it's not something that administrators had monitored every day.

"We're patriotic, too," she said. "What we can do is have a more strictly monitored program" to make sure the flags are raised every school day and taken down at the end of the day. "We will see that it's more consistent."

There is no specific Department of Education subject policy regarding the flying of flags on school campuses. However, the U.S. code does specify the correct ways to display the American flag.

In this situation, the pertinent rule is: "The universal custom is to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flag staffs in the open. However, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly lit during darkness when a patriotic effect is desired."

Also, "it should not be displayed in inclement weather unless an all-weather flag is used."

Q: In December you had an item saying the state Department of Transportation was going to have a laboratory analyze samples from the site of that huge dip in Likelike Highway, then recommend ways of correcting the problem. What were the results?

A: The consultant's results were inconclusive, so the plan is to do some "investigative boring" to find out what's causing that dip, said Gary Choy, head of the Highways Division design branch.

Right now, all there is "a lot of speculation" as to the cause of that problem, among that the presence of "unsuitable" material below the surface, including deteriorating plant cuttings and other "rubbish," as well as the possibility of an underground stream.

The boring is expected to be done sometime this year, Choy said. With the boring, the hope is "to get a better handle of what kind of corrective measures we might be faced with."

In the meantime, the Transportation Department is continuing to monitor the area to make sure the dip doesn't suddenly get "out of hand."

Mahalo

To the Palolo fire department and paramedics who came to my aid on Tuesday, Feb. 19. -- Grateful Lady on Kuahea Street

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