As Kamehameha Schools operates at full capacity amidst the ongoing pandemic, there are major protocols put in place to keep students and staff safe, along with developments on the spread of COVID-19.

Unvaccinated students must consent to on-campus testing, which entails spitting into a rapid testing tube. Tests are handed out on the first day of the week and collected the next day in the students’ respective homeroom. Additionally, if a student is unvaccinated they must fill out a wellness check proving that they have not been in close contact with someone who has contracted COVID-19.

If a student is fully vaccinated, meaning they have had both vaccinations and a valid vaccination card, they are able to register as a vaccinated individual at school. They receive a vaccination badge that waives them from taking the weekly rapid test and they do not have to fill out a wellness check every morning.

In all classes, students have to either sit in an assigned seat or stay 3 feet away from one another. Assigned seating is used for contract tracing in case a student contracts COVID-19, making it easier for the school to contact the individuals who were sitting near them. For certain classes, like Midkiff Study Hall, students are allowed to sit wherever they want under the condition that they stay 3 feet apart and fill out the Study Hall Google Form. The Google Form keeps track of where each individual was sitting in the case that someone in the large group has COVID-19.

These new rules are strictly enforced, but it is important to understand that these precautions must take place to ensure our ability to safely come onto campus and continue our school year in person.