Bill Text: HI HCR8 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Urging The Board Of Education And Department Of Education To Elevate Hawaiian Language And Cultural Education In Public High Schools By Expanding Access To Hawaiian Language And Cultural Classes That Fulfill Core Requirements Throughout Secondary Education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-04-01 - Referred to EDU. [HCR8 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2021-HCR8-Introduced.html

---

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	8
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Urging the Board of education and DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION to elevate hawaiian language and cultural education in public high schoolS by incorporating more diverse hawaiian language and cultural classes as core requirements throughout secondary education.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, article X, section 1, of the Hawaii State Constitution provides for the establishment of a statewide system of public schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, article X, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution requires that the "State shall promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history, and language" and "provide for a Hawaiian education program consisting of language, culture, and history in the public schools"; and

 

     WHEREAS, article XV, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution officially recognizes Hawaiian as an official language of the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2019, the Hawaii Supreme Court held in Clarabal v. Dep't of Educ., 145 Hawaii 69 (2019), that the framers of the Hawaii State Constitution intended article X, section 4, to require the State to "provide a Hawaiian education program in public schools that is reasonably calculated to revive and preserve ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i"; and

 

     WHEREAS, Chief Justice Recktenwald noted in his concurrence in the judgement of the Clarabal case that, "the framers emphasized the importance of reviving ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i through the public education system, in order to ensure that all children of the State of Hawai‘i have exposure to Hawaiian language, culture and history"; and

     WHEREAS, native Hawaiian students represent the single largest ethnic group in the State's public schools, at twenty-six percent of the student population, and deserve a curriculum that is attentive to the perpetuation of their culture and identity; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaiian education benefits students of all ethnic backgrounds by contributing to an understanding and appreciation of Hawaii's unique cultural and historical context; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaiian education perpetuates the skills, knowledge, values, and practices of the native people of Hawaii and offers innovative and place-based responses to the demands of a rapidly changing world; and

 

     WHEREAS, embracing an educational philosophy that honors and promotes a native Hawaiian perspective can foster multilingualism, multiculturalism, educational experience, and whole-child development; and

 

     WHEREAS, the 0.5 credit Modern Hawaiian History class is currently the only core curriculum requirement at the high school level dedicated to addressing article X, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution; and

 

     WHEREAS, high school student participants in the Twenty-Seventh Annual Children and Youth Summit identified the elevation of diverse Hawaiian education courses in public schools as a priority for young people in Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the Senate concurring, that the Board of Education and Department of Education are urged to elevate Hawaiian language and cultural education in public high schools by incorporating more diverse Hawaiian language and cultural classes as core requirements throughout secondary education; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Hawaiian Education; Cultural Education; Department of Education; High School Students; Core Curriculum