Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022įor kids living in this rural Kau-Keaau-Pahoa district, one of the poorest areas of the state, the need for counseling is compounded by issues such as food insecurity, housing instability and inadequate infrastructure, including unreliable transportation and internet access that serve as barriers to learning. Kea‘au High, which enrolls 1,100 students, saw a sharp uptick in student fights last fall as students returned to campus for in-person learning after a year-and-a-half of mostly virtual classes. While the situation at Kea‘au High has improved significantly since winter break - fights are now rare at the campus, according to staff - the surge in violent behavior last fall exposed how Hawaii schools struggle to provide mental health and trauma counseling for students following the pandemic wave. “It became a competition … to see who could get the most fights.” “It was chaotic,” said Kea‘au High science teacher Charlotte Godfrey-Romo. Students filmed fights on their cell phones and posted them to social media. A school security guard was injured when he tried to break up a brawl and is still out on medical leave. KEA‘AU, Hawaii Island - When in-person classes fully resumed last fall at Kea‘au High on the rural east side of Hawaii island, the school was in crisis.įights between students occurred regularly.
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