Aloha nui e ko Kamehameha Hawaiʻi ē,

Mahalo to all of you as we navigate together through the start of a new school year and the changing conditions we face. We are glad to see all of our haumāna back on-campus in the classroom as well as in our gyms and on our fields.

Throughout this pandemic, we’ve believed a return to the classroom, to extracurricular activities, and to the field of competition benefits our students and their well-being. Last January, we took steps forward to safely reopen our classrooms to more haumāna and with student-athletes able to engage in practice and competition with other Hawaiʻi Island private schools. 

This summer, we resumed our athletic program with the health and safety of all KS students, athletes, staff and ‘ohana remaining our highest priority. With COVID-19 and its delta variant affecting so many in our community, we want to make every effort to ensure that participating in sports will not impact our students’ ability to attend school with their classmates.  

As we plan the return of more of our sports and the start of league play, we must also consider the decisions of those athletic leagues and other schools with whom we compete. Last week, we announced our decision to require all Fall sports student-athletes, coaches, and athletic staff to register with KS as fully vaccinated by September 24. This message is to inform you of our process for medical or religious exemptions from required vaccination. Exemptions are allowed with review and a commitment to a testing protocol. Student-athletes, coaches, and staff who remain unregistered and with an approved exemption may be subject to additional testing(beyond the weekly testing for school) to meet the requirements of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF), which still need to be finalized. Individuals without registered vaccinations or who choose not participate in the additional league-required testing will not be eligible to participate in sports.

Any student-athlete may apply for a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination by contacting your HS Health Room Nurse, Carl DeLeon, RN at cadeleon@ksbe.edu. 

As we all have experienced over the last year and a half, the status of COVID in our community continues to fluctuate. We will continue to monitor conditions, guidance from the CDC, Hawaii Department of Health and state and county legal requirements. If conditions or rules change, we may adjust our vaccination and testing requirements for student-athletes.

We look forward to a safe and successful return of all of our individual and team sports over the course of this year. We know the excitement and joy these activities bring to our students, ‘ohana, staff, and our entire community and will be grateful to have these experiences back. 

Mālama Pono!

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ks hawaii,covid-19,ksh athletics

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Kaipuolono Article, Hawaii Newsroom, KS Hawaii Home, Hawaii High School, Newsroom, Campus Programs, Hawaii, Hawaii campus

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