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HB258
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO.
258
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating
to School sports
.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION 1.
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The legislature finds that the healthy
development of the State's keiki is a top priority.
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Youth sports play a huge role in the social
and physical development of many keiki in Hawaii.
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Every weekend there are many different sports
leagues taking part in every area of the State.
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These leagues are more than just about keiki
having fun, but they provide students with the opportunity to find a sense of
community and identity.
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The life skills
and relationships built through team sports provide students with structure and
leadership that discourage mischievous activities.
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The legislature further finds a dire
need to create a supplemental sports program to accommodate the growing number
of high school students in West Oahu.
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There has been an increase in the enrollment in West Oahu public schools
with the population shift over the last decade which has resulted in a swelling
of the populations in West Oahu.
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With
larger enrollments, more students are getting cut from high school sports teams.
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Students in schools with higher enrollment
should have an equal opportunity to participate in sports and earn college
athletic scholarships.
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Accordingly, the
purpose of this Act is to require the department of education to implement a
supplemental sports program for high school students in West Oahu.
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SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii
Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately
designated and to read as follows:
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302A-
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Supplemental sports program
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(a) There is created under the department
of education a supplemental sports program for high school students in west
Oahu, an area which encompasses Waipahu through Makaua and through the south
shore communities of Iroquois Point through Kapolei.
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(
b)
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The supplemental sports program shall be
available to any student attending any high school in west Oahu, without regard
to whether the high school is public, private, charter, or home school.
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(c)
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The department of education shall implement
the supplemental sports program at each public high school in west Oahu with
more than two thousand five hundred students.
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The department shall designate one personnel at each such school to
coordinate the program, including but not limited to ensuring the availability
of school facilities for program events.
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(d)
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The department shall inform all students of
the option to participate in the supplemental sports program.
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Composition of the program teams shall be
based on the number of participants and not be limited by the participants' school
of enrollment.
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(e)
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The supplemental sports program shall be
authorized to use existing school facilities in west Oahu.
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The existing athletic programs shall make a good-faith
effort to make the facilities available for the program.
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(f)
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Sports to be included in the supplemental
sports program include but are not limited to football, basketball, volleyball,
baseball, tennis, swimming, water polo, cross country, softball, and track
& field.
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(g)
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The supplemental sports program shall have
teams divided by biological gender for each sport.
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(h)
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The department shall adopt rules under
chapter 91 to carry out the purposes of this section.
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SECTION 3.
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New statutory material is underscored.
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SECTION 4.
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There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $
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or so much thereof as may be
necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may
be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 to establish two full-time equivalent
(2.0 FTE) positions to implement the program.
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The sum appropriated shall be
expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.
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SECTION 5.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
DOE; School
Sports; Supplemental Sports Program; West Oahu
Description:
Requires the Department of Education to implement a supplemental
sports program for high school students in West Oahu
.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.