HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	38
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the board of education to adopt a policy relating to community schools to guide the establishment of additional community schools throughout the State.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, every child should be given the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education; and

 

     WHEREAS, community schools provide comprehensive programs and services to meet the unique needs of students and families, including a lack of stable housing, inadequate medical and dental care, persistent hunger, trauma, and exposure to violence; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to a report from the Learning Policy Institute, the four key pillars of a community-schools approach to education are integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities, active family engagement, and collaborative leadership; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the national Coalition for Community Schools, best practice shows that having a dedicated, full-time Community School Coordinator who facilitates the alignment of school, family, and community resources is a core element of a successful community school; and

 

     WHEREAS, the community school strategy aligns with the Department of Education's Nā Hopena Aʻo Framework, strengthening the sense of belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha, and total well-being; and

 

     WHEREAS, practices embodied in community schools promote conditions found in high-quality schools nationwide, especially with regard to overcoming out-of-school barriers to learning; and

 

     WHEREAS, research shows that community-school interventions can result in improvements to a variety of student outcomes, including attendance, academic achievement, and graduation rates; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act includes community schools as a research based strategy for school improvement that emphasizes high-quality teaching, culturally relevant curricula, wraparound student supports, positive disciplinary practices and restorative justice, parent and community engagement, and inclusive school leadership; and

 

     WHEREAS, community schools programs are already operating in many parts of the State, especially in remote, rural, and economically disadvantaged areas and more students and their families could benefit from an expansion of community schools; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the Board of Education is requested to adopt a policy relating to community schools; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to use the policy adopted by the Board of Education to guide the expansion of community schools programs to additional campuses; and

 

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

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Community Schools; Board of Education; Department of Education