Families and school administrators in Hawaii are at odds as the state Legislature weighs a bill that would tighten enforcement against people entering school grounds outside class time, even as some residents seek routine access to playgrounds and fields for their children.
Senate Bill 2611 is aimed at weekend and holiday visits to school campuses. Under the measure, people who set foot on school grounds on those days could face criminal trespassing charges without first receiving a warning from police or school administrators, according to the text described by the bill’s backers and opponents.
The bill’s potential consequences are also central to the debate. If enacted, the measure could result in up to a year in jail and $2,000 in fines, and it has already passed through the Hawaii Senate. It is now awaiting a hearing in the House.
Some parents argue the request for after-hours access is practical, not malicious. Maya Childress, a parent who said she brings her three children to an elementary playground on weekends, said many families want a safe, controlled environment for their kids, especially in communities that may lack nearby city parks. Childress said she has not been approached by police or school administrators when visiting the playground at ʻAikahi Elementary.
School officials and others supporting the bill have described a different reality on campuses after classes end. In legislative hearings, principals have raised concerns about worsening vandalism, homelessness and unsanitary conditions on school grounds, including property damage and trash that add burdens to teachers and custodians. Kaimukī High School Principal Lorelei Aiwohi said in written testimony that staff face an array of vandalism and biohazards every Monday morning before students can safely step onto campus.
The proposal also targets how warnings factor into enforcement. Under current law, individuals can be charged for trespassing on school campuses on weekends or holidays only after they have received a warning from administrators or law enforcement. The measure would change that requirement, while the current law already does not require warning for trespassing at night, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Hawaii Department of Education officials have argued that the Legislature should consider how campus safety enforcement and employee protection intersect. Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in written testimony that Senate Bill 2611 could protect school employees from harassment and violence, a concern that gained statewide attention after a parent assaulted a high school athletic director last year. Kāneʻohe Elementary Principal Derek Minakami said eliminating the warning requirement could help schools address aggressive or unsafe behavior, and he said schools may not always have 24/7 security to catch intruders and call police.
Other principals said they expect any behavioral impact from the bill would depend on how lawmakers and schools communicate changes to the public. At Holomua Elementary in ʻEwa Beach, Principal Christopher Bonilla said he is hopeful the bill would discourage weekend entries, but he also said schools and lawmakers would need to clearly communicate the change to communities if it is to affect behavior.
The bill arrives in the middle of a longer-running conflict over how much public access schools should provide. In recent years, parents and lawmakers and county leaders have repeatedly asked the Department of Education to open school playgrounds and fields to the public when classes are not in session, and some proposals to expand access had been moving earlier in the legislative session. Midway through the session, however, lawmakers began moving in the opposite direction, with Senate Bill 2611 described as a crackdown on school trespassing.
One of the access-expansion efforts cited in testimony and legislative discussion was House Bill 1786, which would have created a four-year pilot requiring schools to make outdoor facilities available for public use on weekends without fees or permit applications. That proposal also would have required schools to post signs warning visitors that the DOE is not responsible for injuries occurring on weekends. House Bill 1786 died in the House Education Committee.
Supporters of the access pilot argued that the existing process can be inconsistent and principal-driven, and that it can create bureaucracy for communities that want access to school facilities. Supporters also said city parks can be crowded with sports practices and games. But opponents, including school officials in testimony, said the application process helps ensure that activities do not overlap with school events and helps schools hold visitors accountable for damage and for bringing tobacco or alcohol onto campus.
According to the bill discussion, concerns about risk are tied to past incidents at Hawaii campuses, including vandalism at ʻAikahi Elementary’s playground in 2021 and a fire intentionally set at Nānāikapono Elementary’s playground in 2023. Deputy Superintendent Jesse Souki compared managing campus access to managing a park, saying it would require substantial energy and resources.
Some lawmakers, including Rep. Trish La Chica, said they still want a compromise that allows recreational use while addressing liability and safety. La Chica said there is a perception that there is “nothing we can do to promote recreation and physical activity,” and she argued that the state should work through logistics to grant more access for the community.
Still, Childress said she is skeptical that adjusting the trespassing law will deter families from visiting school playgrounds on weekends, especially where alternative outdoor space is limited. She said families may continue to try, even if it increases the chance of a rare police encounter, and she said she has not experienced warnings or outreach from police or administrators despite visiting playgrounds as a regular routine.
Beyond the current legislative proposals, the article points to earlier efforts at partnership-based access, including a pilot program in 2005 at Farrington High School that allowed the City and County of Honolulu to run free exercise programs on the campus several times a week, with the DOE offering space at no charge and city staff providing programming. The initiative was described as ending when funding for the city’s exercise classes ran out, and the city and DOE have not entered similar partnerships since.
As lawmakers consider how to balance recreation and enforcement, Childress said she hopes state and county agencies can reach an agreement that would expand playground access during weekends or off school hours, so families would not have to “jump a fence.”