This is Now (August 4, 2021)

All Hawaii public high schools will now require student-athletes and coaches to get vaccinated in order to participate in the upcoming fall sports season, the state Department of Education announced Wednesday. As a result, the state is delaying the start of the season to late September. The DOE said all student-athletes, athletics staff and volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24 in order to participate. “We opened the new school year this week with in-person learning and our highest priority is to ensure all students can continue to attend school safely,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said, in a statement.