Aloha kākou, parents and families of Hālau Lōkahi students:

Pursuant to the State Public Charter School Commission’s Contingency Plan for Hālau Lōkahi Charter School Dissolution approved on March 12, 2015, we write to notify you officially that the Commission, after a hearing on Monday, March 30, 2015, on the Notice of Prospect for Revocation, has voted to revoke the school’s charter contract, release funds for Halau Lokahi operations only for the months of April through May 2015 and close Hālau Lōkahi Public Charter School, effective May 31, 2015. Commission staff has already begun to work with your Governing Board and its volunteers to process the funding for the remainder of the school year and will begin the process to wind down and close up what remains of the school facilities, assets and debts as set forth in the Contingency Plan.

As of Monday, March 30, 2015, the State’s official enrollment system still showed your child as not yet having transferred from Hālau Lōkahi Charter School to a new school, which is why you are receiving this notification. If you have already transferred your child to another school or have filed to homeschool your child, please disregard this notice.

For next school year (2015-2016), you should begin enrollment of your child to your Department of Education (DOE) home school, or immediately apply for admission to other charter schools that may have already begun their applications process for next school year. If you need help finding your child’s DOE homeschool, you may call the Commission at 586- 3775 or check online using the Hawaii Public Schools schoolfinder app at: http://apps.schoolsitelocator.com/index.html?districtCode=00005.

Another option, as we have mentioned previously, could be to register your student as a home-schooler, even for this one semester. Home-schooled students in grades one through eight generally can transfer back into public school at the grade assigned to their age, although an evaluation may be required to ensure the grade placement is appropriate. High school students can be home-schooled too, but it is very important to remember that home-schooled students do not earn credit toward a public high school diploma.

To opt for home-schooling you must complete the OCISS Form 4140, Exceptions to Compulsory Attendance and submit the form to the governing board of Hālau Lōkahi. Families of home-schooled students who wish to have their students participate in the Statewide Testing Program would need to contact their DOE home school in order to participate in testing.

We encourage you to make use of the online information the Commission has made available to you about Halau Lokahi, which includes the information on home-schooling. You may find this information at: www.chartercommission.hawaii.gov, click on “Information and Resources” and then on “Halau Lokahi.” Additionally, you are welcome to contact the Commission office for assistance, at (808) 586-3775 or info@spcsc.hawaii.gov.

Circumstances surrounding this situation are difficult for all involved, but it is our hope that we can all work together to complete the school year and transition your child to insure that his/her educational needs are met.

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