Contact

Campus Safety

Important Numbers

Punahou School Administration:
808.944.5711

Punahou School Anonymous Helpline:

844.513.8110

State of Hawaii Crisis Line:

808.832.3100

National Crisis Text Line:

741741

National Suicide Hotline:

1.800.SUICIDE (1.800.784.2433)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

1.800.273.TALK (8255)

The Sex Abuse Treatment Center:

808.524.7273

Hawaii Child Welfare Services:

808.832.5300

Honolulu Police Department:

911 (808.529.3111)

For personal problems, employees may receive confidential professional short-term help through Punahou’s Employee Assistance Program

Questions?

If you have any questions or concerns about school safety, please contact: safety@punahou.edu

Punahou School’s highest priority is ensuring the health, safety and well-being of its community.

Punahou encourages students and parents to talk with teachers, deans, counselors and administrators if they have any concerns or questions regarding their safety or the safety of other students.


If you or a student you know is in an unsafe or challenging situation; experiencing or witnessing drug or alcohol use or addiction; harassment, intimidation or bullying; sexual abuse or harassment; suicidal thoughts, inclinations or actions; or violence or threats of violence, we urge you to notify the School or submit an anonymous report through the Punahou Community Helpline.

Over the past few years, Punahou has taken significant steps to address student safety, and we are grateful for the dedication that our faculty and staff have put toward this effort.

Working with nationally recognized experts in school safety and security, we have implemented the following:

List of 14 items.

  • Community Care Response Team (CCRT)

    The Community Care Response Team (CCRT) is responsible for the management of cases related to allegations of sexual abuse and harassment involving members of the Punahou School community. The CCRT is composed of deans, faculty members, counselors and other School administrators, including a Community Care Liaison (CCL).

    During the process of addressing a report of sexual abuse, the CCRT seeks to ensure that the victim’s safety is paramount and will provide or make referrals for other types of support as necessary. The team also involves the student’s family as the first line of response in dealing with sensitive matters.

    The CCRT focuses on:

    • Student Safety: The CCRT will determine if any immediate emergency, medical or legal assistance is required or requested by the student. The CCRT will determine if measures are needed to separate the student and alleged offender and, if so, implement those measures.
    • Student Support and Accommodations: The Community Care Liaison (CCL) will establish contact with the student and their family to offer support services that may be appropriate to their situation and keep the student and family apprised of the status of the School’s response to the report.
    • External Reporting: The CCRT will ensure all mandated reports have been made to the appropriate public agencies.
    • Confidentiality: The CCRT will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of the report and subsequent investigations – notwithstanding mandatory reporting laws and civil requirements for disclosure – and limit disclosure to those persons with a “need-to-know.”
    • Monitoring and Follow-up: The CCRT continues to track the status of cases with law enforcement and monitor the emotional and psychological well-being of the student. Cases are reevaluated on a quarterly basis.
  • Community Care Liaisons

    The CCL assists students during the course of the CCRT’s response and conclusion of their review and any investigation that is conducted. The CCL also:

    • Takes appropriate measures to help protect and assist the student who reports abuse or harassment, including coordinating with local law enforcement and court systems.
    • Makes referrals for or facilitates professional and/or public resources for the student who may need medical or psychological services.
    • Informs the student of Punahou’s internal and public mandated reporting obligations.
    • Advises students and their families that Punahou may conduct an investigation into their report – irrespective of the student’s desire to participate.
    • Assists in advising students and their families of their right to pursue criminal charges against offenders in cases of child abuse or sexual assault.
    • Educates the student on the CCRT’s responsibilities and procedures in addressing the report.
    • Keeps the student and their family informed of CCRT actions and results.
    • Informs the student about what constitutes retaliation and how to report it.
    • Documents actions taken to support and communicate with the student and their family.
  • Safety and Privacy Accommodations

    The CCRT and CCL assist with providing accommodations from Punahou to address safety or privacy concerns, the impact of trauma or stress or scheduling conflicts that arise as a result of judicial or criminal proceedings. Punahou will ensure that such accommodations are provided where appropriate.
  • Mandatory Sexual Misconduct Training

    All faculty, staff, coaches and other employees of Punahou are required to complete mandatory sexual misconduct training as a condition of their employment.
  • Mandatory Reporting Policy

    All Punahou officers, employees and independent contractors are mandated reporters and must report any known or alleged abuse or neglect of a child.
  • Mental Health and Counseling Resources

    Our team of counselors collaborate and consult with administration, school staff, teachers, psychologists and families to provide general guidance and faculty support to help students be successful at school. Counselors encourage, intervene and advocate for students experiencing personal, academic and developmental difficulties.

    Support services include counseling, consultation, crisis intervention and social and emotional education. Attention is paid to the sensitivity of the content of counseling conversations. Depending on the situation, the School may need to take reasonable precautions to protect a student’s well-being and prevent harm to the student or other students, including, but not limited to, reporting incidents to parents/guardians, specially trained staff or law enforcement, as applicable. In certain situations, the School does not have discretion and must report the situation to applicable authorities.
     
  • Student Safety and Security Committee

    The Student Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) is charged with the creation, implementation and compliance of policies around student welfare and campus safety including:

    • Implementing measures to enhance the physical security of the campus for the Punahou community.
    • Communicating and educating externally and internally regarding student welfare and security initiatives.
    • Analyzing emerging areas of risk and developing recommendations for consideration by the School leadership.
  • Campus Security

    Punahou employs a team of security guards who are a familiar and reassuring presence on campus. In addition to monitoring the campus and facilities, they assist visitors and direct traffic when needed. The School also hires sheriffs as an added security measure.

    A system of security cameras are installed across campus, located at campus entrances in addition to other strategic points, such as common gathering areas. These cameras support ongoing safety planning and assist Security when an incident occurs.

    Each member of the campus community is encouraged to take campus safety seriously and support safety efforts. This includes driving safely and with aloha for others, respecting security and staff instructions while on campus, taking care of others on campus and being alert to unusual or potentially dangerous situations.

    Campus Security can be reached by calling 808.944.5777.
  • Emergency Procedures

    Punahou School’s Emergency Plan focuses on the safety and security of the children in our care. The Emergency Plan is in place to guide response in a variety of possible situations which have the potential of putting students at risk and/or disrupting school operations. A Crisis Response Team guides actions taken during an emergency based on standard multi-level warning systems pre-determined and communicated on campus. 

    Emergency information will be communicated through a range of channels, including text messaging, email, the school website, and on-campus sirens and PA systems.

    Parents and guardians will be advised of the status of an emergency situation via email and text message. In the event of an emergency, parents and guardians should not immediately come to campus until asked to do so. School staff will be focused on caring for students and access to campus may be restricted.
  • Cyber Security Program

    Punahou maintains a rigorous cybersecurity program to provide its students with the safest digital experience possible. This includes a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and other IT professionals on staff who are dedicated to ensuring that Punahou employs state-of-the-art practices related to online security. Some of the practices Punahou has instituted include: education-focused security tools (such as Securly), on-premises firewalls, restricted YouTube access, formal review of all applications and software prior to being used by students, phishing exercises and more. Punahou IT also ensures the School’s full compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
  • Code of Conduct

    Punahou School upholds the fundamental principle that every individual should be treated with dignity, respect and care.

    We affirm that a school should be a place where students learn not only about the world around them, but about themselves — creating a strong social, emotional and ethical foundation that will shape their experiences here and throughout their lives.

    This foundation is based on the core belief that every student should have the opportunity to learn in a safe and caring environment, free from harassment, bullying and unsafe or unethical behavior.

    All members of our community — whether students, parents, guardians, faculty, staff, contractors or volunteers — play a vital role in the development of a healthy learning environment.

  • Mandatory Reporter Notice

    Punahou employees who have a reason to believe that child abuse or neglect has occurred or may occur in the reasonably foreseeable future must report the matter to Child Welfare Service or the Police Department.

    In addition, Punahou employees may report information gained through the Punahou Community Helpline if they believe it is in the interest of the child and the community even if the information does not meet the reporting threshold of Hawaii’s mandatory reporting laws.
  • Punahou Community Helpline

    A third party, 24-hour-a-day hotline for anonymous reporting of sexual misconduct and abuse. 
     
    Confidentiality
    The Punahou Community Helpline is hosted by a third-party provider, EthicsPoint, and provides the opportunity for persons to confidentially report activities that may present physical, emotional or social harm to themselves or to another Punahou School student. Callers can choose to provide their names and contact information or to report anonymously. EthicsPoint will not provide information regarding the caller’s identity to Punahou School without the caller’s consent. Reports of child abuse or neglect, even if made anonymously, may be forwarded to the Child Welfare Service or the Police Department.
  • SATC Resources

    Guides/Tips
    Organizations
    • CyberTipline: An organization that helps find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.
    • Love is Respect: is an organization that focuses on what healthy relationships look like and what to do to get out of an unhealthy relationship.
    • National Sexual Violence Resource Center
    • Tap808: supports the youth of Hawai’i in the development of healthy relationships.  Their mission is to tap out teen dating violence through prevention education, advocacy and social change.
    • The Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC)
    • Wait Until 8th - is an organization that empowers parents to rally together to delay giving child(ren) a smartphone until at least 8th grade
    Podcasts and Videos
    Tools/Apps
    • American Academy of Pediatrics Family Media Plan: Use this tool to help your family think about media, and create goals/rules that are in line with your family’s values.
    • Bark - is a parental control phone monitoring app to help keep kids safe online. Bark monitors social media, text, and email on Android and iOS devices.
    • Common Sense Media Device Contract: Use the contract as a way to set realistic rules that make sense for your family to make the most out of media and tech time.
    • Culture Reframed - A free program designed for parents of tweens to help guide you through topics that provide skills to build your child’s resilience and resistance to hypersexualized culture and the impacts of pornography.
    • ESRB Game Ratings: Website used to make informed choices about online games children play
    • NetSmartz Family Activity: Watch the Photo Fate video with your child and use the discussion guide as a way to open the door for age-appropriate and respectful conversations about sexting.
    Articles

    If you would like to subscribe to electronic news and information from The Sex Abuse Treatment Center, you are interested in scheduling a Shots training, and/or you are interested in becoming a Shots training facilitator, please contact Inji Kim.

Advisory Council for Student Safety

Llasmin Chaine, LSW
Education and Community Outreach Manager, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Hawaii Pacific Health

Georgi DeCosta ’93
Survivor advocate, Na Pua o Punahou Founding Member. Former Windward O‘ahu Program Director, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.
 
Karen Elizaga, J.D. ’88
Survivor advocate, author, executive coach. Former Board Chair of Woman kind, an organization that provides support to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault. Former Trustee, Riverdale Country School in New York.

Emmie Kia
PFA President (SY 2024 – 2025)

Douglas Kwock, MD ’83
Chief Medical Officer, Pali Momi Medical Center. Hawai‘i Pacific Health leadership and pediatrician with over 20 years of experience. 
 
Mike Lee ’00
PFA President (SY 2023 – 2024); Director of Education and Stewardship Programs, Moanalua Gardens Foundation
 
Cecily Sakai ’02, Psy.D.
Clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, grief and loss, women’s health and wellness, and identity development concerns.
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