Fights At Hawaii Schools Highlight The Need For More Mental Health Support …A sharp rise in disturbances on campuses at the start of the school year prompted school leaders to adopt new strategies.
KEA’AU, Hawaii Island — When in-person classes fully resumed last fall at Kea‘au High on the rural east side of Hawaii island, the school was in crisis.
Fights between students occurred regularly. A school security guard was injured when he tried to break up a brawl and is still out on medical leave. Students filmed fights on their cell phones and posted them to social media.
“It was chaotic,” said Kea‘au High science teacher Charlotte Godfrey-Romo. “It became a competition … to see who could get the most fights.”
While the situation at Kea‘au High has improved significantly since winter break — fights are now rare at the campus, according to staff — the surge in violent behavior last fall exposed how Hawaii schools struggle to provide mental health and trauma counseling for students following the pandemic wave.
