REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REQUIRE ONE YEAR OF HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION AS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

SR50

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

50

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

requesting the department of education to require one
year of hawaiian language instruction as a graduation requirement in public
schools
.

����
WHEREAS,
ʻ
Ō
lelo Hawai
ʻ
i, the Hawaiian
language, is the native language of the Native Hawaiian people; and

����
WHEREAS, Hawaiian
was a prevalent language throughout the Kingdom of Hawai
ʻ
i, becoming the language of government
and the general public; and

����
WHEREAS, after
the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai
ʻ
i
and annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, English became the official language
for government operations and society; and

����
WHEREAS, in
1896, the republican government banned the teaching of Hawaiian language and
required English language instruction in Hawaii schools; and

����
WHEREAS, the
number of fluent speakers of
ʻ
Ō
lelo Hawai
ʻ
i significantly
declined following the ban on the Hawaiian language; and

����
WHEREAS, the Hawaiian
language was considered to be nearly extinct by the 1980s, when there were fewer
than fifty fluent speakers under the age of eighteen; and

����
WHEREAS, in
1978, to recognize the importance of the Hawaiian language, the Hawaii State
Constitution was amended to include the Hawaiian language as one of the two
official languages of the State; and

����
WHEREAS,
Hawai
ʻ
i is the
only state in the United States that has designated a native language as one of
its two official state languages; and

����
WHEREAS, in
1990, the United States Congress passed the Native American Languages Act,
recognizing the preservation, use, and support of Native American languages,
including Hawaiian; and

����
WHEREAS,
educational initiatives such as
ʻ
Aha
P
ū
nana Leo's
Hawaiian language immersion preschools, the Department of Education's Hawaiian
language immersion program, and Hawaiian language programs at University of
Hawai
ʻ
i System
schools have been instrumental in saving and revitalizing the Hawaiian
language; and

����
WHEREAS,
article X, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution, requires the State to
"provide for a Hawaiian education program consisting of language, culture
and history in public schools."; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Department of Education's Hawaiian Studies Program and Ka Papahana Kaiapuni
Hawai
ʻ
i, the
Hawaiian Language Immersion Program, were established in 1980 to promote the
study of Hawaiian culture, language, and history for students in grades
kindergarten through twelve; and

����
WHEREAS, as
of June 2025, there are twenty-two Department of Education schools and seven
charter schools that offer Hawaiian language immersion education to students in
grades kindergarten through twelve; and

����
WHEREAS,
while the Kaiapuni educational program is recognized globally as a successful
language revitalization program, study of the Hawaiian language remains
optional for students at public schools; and

����
WHEREAS, requiring
the Department of Education to make
ʻ
Ō
lelo Hawai
ʻ
i a required course for
graduation will promote a basic understanding of the Hawaiian language and
further ensure the longevity and prosperity of the Hawaiian language; now,
therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Education is requested to
require one year of Hawaiian language instruction as a graduation requirement
in public schools; and

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

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

DOE;
Hawaiian Language; Graduation Requirement