Preamble

The primary function of schools is to nurture the educative process of the students and to constructively meet the challenges of the future.

If we, the students of the State of Hawaii, are to become citizens trained in the democratic process, we should be provided full opportunity to inquire, to question, and to exchange ideas. Our rights and responsibilities, then, are analogous to those of an adult citizen.

I. Constitutional Rights

• All students shall enjoy rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.
• Students shall be governed by all laws and ordinances of the State of Hawaii and the County of residence.
• Moreover, students shall respect all rules, policies, and regulations of the Department of Education and of Aiea High School.

II. Academic Responsibilities

• Students shall have the responsibility to learn and to respect the right of others to learn.
• Students shall also respect the rights of others to teach.

III. Freedom of Expression and Communication

• Students shall have the right to express publicly and to hear various points of views on subjects without fear or reprisal or penalty.
• However, students shall recognize the rights of others and the limitations imposed by the laws of libel, slander, obscenity and incitement to riot.

IV. Involvement of Students in the Decision-Making Process

• Students shall have the right to be involved in the decision-making process that affects the educational system.

V. Freedom of Assembly and Right to Petition

• Students shall have the right to assemble peaceably and to "petition the government for redress of grievances."

VI. Freedom of Association

• Students shall have the right to organize clubs or associations within the school as provided in the School Code.

VII. Student Discipline

• Students have the right to due process within the guidelines set in Chapter 19.

VIII. Right to Privacy

• Students have the right to privacy as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution, Article 1, and Section 5.

IX. Instruction and Administration

• Students have the right to be concerned about teachers selected to instruct them and administrators who supervise the school and educational system they attend.
• To this end, we should be given an opportunity to express our opinions concerning the instruction we receive from teachers and the administration of Hawaii's public schools recognizing that the evaluation of teachers and administrators rests with the appropriate supervisor established by collective bargaining contracts, the policies and regulation of the DOE, and the laws of the State of Hawaii.

X. Miscellaneous

• Students shall have access to all statutes, rules, policies and regulations to which they are subjected. Copies of these and the Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities shall be available for inspection either in the school office or in some designated location convenient to everyone.