Annual Enterprise Student Safety and Compliance Training is required of all KS employees, and is also available to temporary employees and third-party contractors such as consultants and vendors. Our annual, online review of KS policies and procedures helps to ensure that we remain diligent in fulfilling our kuleana and that the safety of all who participate in the learning environment remains at the forefront of all we do.

Kamehameha Schools has a robust Volunteer Program across the enterprise to ensure a safe and healthy volunteer experience for everyone — staff, students and volunteers. To maintain a safe learning environment for everyone, all volunteers who work in close proximity to students for prolonged periods of time are required to undergo a criminal background check, obtain TB clearance, and be supervised by KS staff.

In the event there are concerns about abuse that occurred in the past by KS personnel, the Praesidium Helpline and Ho‘opakele Fund are available to help survivors with confidential reporting and access to support services.

All Kamehameha Schools Trustees and employees are mandated by KS policy and procedure to report any known or alleged abuse or neglect of a child by a household family member, KS trustee, employee, volunteer, or contractor. Kamehameha Schools also has designated liaisons that can assist employees in making reports to Child Welfare Services or the police and can facilitate additional services for the student as needed. Kamehameha Schools complies with the reporting and other requirements of Hawai’i law creating the Harm to Students Registry.

A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework described below will provide consistent guidelines and processes to support all aspects of a student’s overall well-being and ensures the academic, social-emotional, and mental health needs of our haumāna are being met. The process consists of the simplest teacher-student support and interventions to more complex supports coordinated through a Student Success Team (SST), which is a multi-disciplinary team consisting of: kumu, ʻohana, school counselor, administrator, and Behavior Health Specialist.

MTSS Levels of Support

• Tier 1: Core supports provided to ALL haumāna. KS provides all students with a safe and nurturing learning environment. With a focus on student-centered learning, kumu provide personalized instruction as needed for every haumāna to be successful.
• Tier 2: KS supports that are provided to SOME haumāna. Haumāna who are identified as needing additional supports are reviewed by the Student Success Team (SST) to develop a Student Success Plan. Mākua (parents) are kept closely involved.
• Tier 3: Kaiāulu (community) supports provided to FEW haumāna. As part of a Student Success Plan, the SST, in partnership with ʻohana, recommends and helps to coordinate support in the community beyond what KS can provide. If the haumāna’s needs cannot be adequately addressed with Tier 3 and lower supports, a recommendation may be made for a school leave or release from the program.
• Tier 4: Haumāna may be on leave and not actively attending or participating in the program but may be receiving some support from School Counselor or Behavior Health Support. Haumāna may be on leave to receive support from external services.

KS has a Gender Inclusivity policy and provides supports for students who wish to express their own gender Identity and expression. This effort also includes working closely with staff to build capacity and understanding using both internal and external subject matter experts.

Students and parents have access to Hi‘ikua — an independent reporting service facilitating anonymous reporting.

Convened stakeholder advisory group sessions, consisting of students; parents; faculty; administrators; and alumni, to gather perceptions and feedback of the current state of student safety at Kamehameha Schools. Based on the most recent survey, Kamehameha Schools is considered a safe place to go to school and to work.

Background Check Requirements

In keeping with our philosophy of student safety and well-being, KS conducts mandatory pre-employment and post-employment background checks on all of its full and part-time employees.

New Hires

All new hires are subject to criminal background checks which include FBI fingerprinting and criminal felony and misdemeanor history which also includes the National Sex Offender Registry. Applicable education, reference and regulatory health and physical examinations are also a part of the background check process.

Background Checks/Students

Student applicants and student volunteers, who are 18 years or older, may be subject to applicable background checks.

KS’ policy is to conduct periodic background checks on current employees. Failure by an employee to cooperate in completing the background check may result in disciplinary action.