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‘It was biased’: Controversy over Hawaii public school lesson on presidential candidates

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‘It was biased’: Controversy over Hawaii public school lesson on presidential candidates


KAPOLEI (HawaiiNewsNow) – The race for the White House is reaching local classrooms and one lesson has some parents raising their eyebrows.

The controversy is over a two page document that was handed out to classrooms at Kapolei Middle School.

It broke down where the U.S. presidential candidates — Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump — stand on the issues.

The state Department of Education confirms the document was put together by a group of teachers at the school who simplified the information in a candidate comparison article in the New York Times.

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The material given out to students lists six issues.

Examples:

Crime:

Harris: “Gives money to police”

Trump: “Sends soldiers to cities”

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Democracy:

Harris: “Wants to keep our country a democracy”

Trump: “Tried to overturn the 2020 election

Immigration:

Harris: “Hires more people to watch the border”

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“Limits how many people can move to the U.S.

Trump: “Finds and catches people in the U.S. illegally”

“Takes children away from their parents”

The lesson is upsetting some parents like Angel Morales, who felt it was biased against the former president.

“Very upset,” Morales said. “I think teachers should do their job as teachers stick to education and not politics.”

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The Hawaii DOE said in a statement:

The Department aims to engage students in civic topics thoughtfully and impartially. Recently a Kapolei Middle sixth grade class used an exercise called “It’s a Match,” adapted from a New York Times article, to help students understand the candidates’ positions on key issues.

Teachers simplified this information to make it accessible for young students, striving to remain factual and unbiased. The intent was to encourage independent thinking and discussion among students, not to promote any particular view. We acknowledge that the interpretation and simplification of complex issues can sometimes result in perceived imbalances, particularly when presenting nuanced political topics to younger audiences, but we remain committed to maintaining a balanced learning environment.

Reactions from parents at other schools were mixed.

“It doesn’t bother me. I actually value that because its important to teach students, how do we make informed decisions when we go to the ballot box,” said Christine Russo, a parent at Ewa Elementary.

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“I thought it was a little biased. I don’t think that it is right especially at that age level,” said Natasha Heffernan, another public school parent.

The teachers attempts to breakdown the complex issues are being defended by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

In a statement it said:

“Both the HSTA, Board of Education and the DOE support student discussion of issues that may generate opposing points of view as an important part of the learning process. Age-appropriate civic education helps students develop a meaningful awareness and respect for the U.S. Constitution and individual rights. It fosters students’ recognition of individual freedom and social responsibility to vote. Teachers create lessons to allow students to study, investigate, process, and develop their own opinions about the world and themselves.”

The DOE has not said if the teachers involved face any disciplinary action or if there would be any chances to policy but did forward us the current policy which said DOE staff are expected to teach on an “objective, and factual basis.”

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Hawaii

Hawaii County Surf Forecast for March 04, 2026 | Big Island Now

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Hawaii County Surf Forecast for March 04, 2026 | Big Island Now


Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast


Shores Tonight Wednesday
Surf Surf
PM AM AM PM
North Facing 2-4 2-4 2-4 2-4
East Facing 3-5 4-6 4-6 5-7
South Facing 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3
TONIGHT
Weather Mostly cloudy. Numerous showers.
Low Temperature In the upper 60s.
Winds East winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tides
Hilo Bay High 1.9 feet 03:26 PM HST.
Low -0.1 feet 09:20 PM HST.
High 2.4 feet 03:40 AM HST.
WEDNESDAY
Weather Partly sunny. Numerous showers.
High Temperature In the upper 70s.
Winds East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides
Hilo Bay Low -0.1 feet 10:00 AM HST.
High 2.0 feet 04:04 PM HST.
Sunrise 6:37 AM HST.
Sunset 6:27 PM HST.

Forecast for Big Island Leeward


Shores Tonight Wednesday
Surf Surf
PM AM AM PM
West Facing 2-4 2-4 2-4 1-3
South Facing 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3
TONIGHT
Weather Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly
cloudy. Hazy.
Low Temperature In the upper 60s.
Winds West winds around 5 mph early in the
afternoon, becoming light and variable.
Tides
Kona High 1.5 feet 04:04 PM HST.
Low -0.1 feet 09:57 PM HST.
High 1.9 feet 04:18 AM HST.
Kawaihae High 1.4 feet 04:36 PM HST.
Low -0.1 feet 10:20 PM HST.
High 1.9 feet 04:38 AM HST.
WEDNESDAY
Weather Partly sunny. Hazy.
High Temperature In the mid 80s.
Winds Light and variable winds, becoming west
around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tides
Kona Low -0.1 feet 10:37 AM HST.
High 1.6 feet 04:42 PM HST.
Kawaihae Low -0.2 feet 11:01 AM HST.
High 1.6 feet 05:13 PM HST.
Sunrise 6:41 AM HST.
Sunset 6:31 PM HST.

The current moderate northwest swell will continue a gradual decline through Thursday. A small west-northwest swell will arrive on Friday and hold through the weekend, followed by a small north-northwest swell early next week. Choppy east shore surf will build to near seasonal average by Wednesday as trade winds strengthen over and east of the islands. Little change is expected along east facing shores through the weekend, followed by a possible decline early next week if winds veer southerly. Surf along south facing shores will remain small to tiny through the weekend, and some islands may an increase in choppy surf if southerly winds develop early next week.

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NORTH EAST

am        pm  

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.

NORTH WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

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ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Conditions: Clean in the early morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions move in during the morning hours with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.

WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with N winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting WNW 5-10mph.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

SOUTH EAST

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am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NE winds 10-15mph. This becomes Sideshore texture/chop for the afternoon.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com



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Hawaii delegation continues to blast U.S. attack on Iran | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Hawaii delegation continues to blast U.S. attack on Iran | Honolulu Star-Advertiser




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Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight

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Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight

























Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight | Local | kitv.com

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