HI SCR52

Requests the Department of Education to require one year of Hawaiian language (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) instruction as a graduation requirement for public school students

Hawaiian language was banned in Hawaii schools in 1896 following annexation, leading to near extinction by the 1980s when fewer than 50 fluent speakers were under age 18

Hawaii amended its State Constitution in 1978 to make Hawaiian one of two official state languages, making it the only U.S. state to designate a native language as official

As of June 2025, 22 Department of Education schools and 7 charter schools offer Hawaiian language immersion programs for grades K-12, though Hawaiian language study remains optional

Certified copies of the resolution would be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education