NĀNĀKULI — The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and Honolulu Police Department are expanding their School Resource Officer (SRO) partnership to four Oʻahu public schools this school year after a successful pilot demonstrated the value of retired police officers serving as mentors, trusted adults and safety partners on campus.

Nānākuli High & Intermediate School will join the program this year with three assigned SROs. Existing pilot schools Kaimukī High School and Waiʻanae High School will each add one officer, bringing all participating campuses into alignment with the program’s three-officer staffing model. Kapolei High School will continue with three SROs.

“We’re grateful for our continued partnership with the Honolulu Police Department. These officers are becoming trusted adults on our campuses who build relationships with students, provide mentorship and career guidance, and help foster a safe, welcoming learning environment,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “The positive response from our schools over the five months has shown the value of this approach, and we’re excited to expand the program to more students.”

Unlike traditional policing models, the SRO program emphasizes relationship-building, mentorship and prevention. The retired officers work alongside school administrators, counselors and staff to support students, resolve conflicts and connect young people with resources while maintaining responsibility for law enforcement when necessary. School administrators remain responsible for student discipline.

“The schools will be safe but more importantly, these are role models, these are mentors, these are people that the students will trust,” Honolulu Police Department Chief David Lazar said. “The more we’re on these campuses, the less enforcement we have to take and the more mentorship we can provide — that’s really the why behind what we are doing.”

Nānākuli High & Intermediate Principal Moani Nahulu-Mahelona said the program is especially meaningful because it will serve both intermediate and high school students.

“We’re excited that Nānākuli is the first school on Oʻahu with intermediate grade levels to be a part of the SRO program,” said Nānākuli High & Intermediate School’s new principal Moani Nahulu-Mahelona. “Middle school and intermediate years are a critical developmental crossroads for adolescents. Having SROs present during these formative years offers invaluable benefits. Our younger students get to interact with officers as mentors, approachable guides and allies long before they reach high school.”

Last school year, Nahulu-Mahelona served as a vice principal at Kapolei High School where she saw firsthand the impact of having school resource officers on campus.

“Initially, students were unsure of what to expect. But within weeks, that caution turned into genuine connection,” she said. “Students could be seen high-fiving the officer in the hallways, talking story during lunch and reaching out for advice when facing personal or peer challenges. The officers became a trusted, everyday fixture of the school ‘ohana.”

In January, both agencies announced a pilot program at Kaimukī, Kapolei and Wai‘anae High Schools. The three schools reported stronger relationships between students and officers, increased student engagement and reductions in campus incidents.

• Kaimukī High School reported more students getting to class on time. The school also recorded an 8% drop in student behavior incidents in spring 2026, compared to the same time last year. The school is also in the process of building out a first responder pathway that will introduce students to careers in police, fire and emergency services.

• Kapolei High School, which has an established Law & Public Safety Academy, said its SROs play an active role in the school community by giving classroom presentations and participating in campus events, including sporting events, senior prom and graduation. The school reported a 20% reduction in student misconduct violations compared with the previous year.

• Waiʻanae High School experienced a 25% decrease in incident counts following the implementation of the SRO program from fall 2025 to spring 2026. 

The schools report that their campuses feel safer overall with SROs on campus. Their SROs are active members of the school community, regularly participating in school events and partnering with counselors to conduct home visits. They also promote HPD’s Police Services Officer program to students interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement.

The expansion builds on longstanding school resource officer programs on Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island, where county police departments and public schools have partnered for years to promote campus safety, mentorship and positive relationships with students.