In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Department of Education will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its programs, services, or activities.

Employment: The Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the ADA.

Effective Communication: The Department of Education will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in Department of Education programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision disabilities.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The Department of Education will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in Department of Education offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of the Department of Education, should contact Krysti Sukita, 808-784-6325 or [email protected] as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the Department of Education to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

The Department of Education will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.

Website Accessibility Notice

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education recognizes the importance of ensuring our website is accessible and usable to all visitors. This includes efforts to conform to the current versions of W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA).

We are continually seeking solutions that will bring all areas of the website up to the same level of overall web accessibility. In the meantime, if you experience any difficulty in accessing our website, please contact us by sending an email. 

任何人若认为 HIDOE 因其残疾而歧视其并因此违反了《康复法案》第 504 条和/或《美国残疾人法案》（ADA）第二章，均可通过以下方式提出申诉： 

民权合规部门 
夏威夷州教育部 
邮政信箱 2360 
夏威夷州檀香山 96804 

电话:808-784-6325 
传真：808-586-3331 
[email protected]

Reasonable Accommodations

If you require a reasonable accommodation to access information in an alternative format, please contact us. We will make every effort to provide the requested materials in a timely manner and ensure equal access to our digital resources.

Telecommunications Relay Service

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities can contact us using the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) by dialing 711. TRS allows users to communicate through a relay operator who facilitates the conversation. For more information on TRS, visit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website at www.fcc.gov/TRS.

Organizational Policies and Procedures on Digital Accessibilities

这 Hawaiʻi Electronic Information Technology Disability Access Standards, published by the Department of Accounting and General Services, Office of Enterprise Technology Services and the Disability and Communication Access Board.

Grievance Procedure Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of programs, services, activities, or benefits by the Department of Education. The State’s Personnel Policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

克莉丝蒂·苏基塔
Phone: 808-784-6325; [email protected]

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Krysti Sukita or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, Krysti Sukita or designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the Department of Education and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint, including how to appeal the response.

If the response by Krysti Sukita or designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to Krysti Sukita or designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, Krysti Sukita or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, Krysti Sukita or designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by Krysti Sukita or designee, appeals Krysti Sukita or designee, and the responses will be retained by the Department of Education for at least three years.

File an Official Complaint

If the grievance process does not resolve your issue, official complaints under HRS §368-1.5 can be submitted to the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission (HCRC), specifically in situations where a person may, by reason of their disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination by state agencies, or under any program or activity receiving state financial assistance.

Instructions for filing a complaint can be found on the HCRC website.

The information on this page was last updated on Oct. 14, 2025.