Submit Testimony

In accordance with Hawaii’s Sunshine Law (Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 92), testimony should be related to an item that is on the agenda.

Written Testimony

​EMAIL

​MAIL

​testimony.boe@boe.hawaii.gov

​Hawaii State Board of Education
P.O. Box 2360
Honolulu, Hawaii 96804

Written testimony should include following information:

  • "Testimony" in the subject line

  • Name with position/title and organization, if applicable;

  • Meeting (Student Achievement, Finance and Infrastructure, Human Resources, or General Business Meeting (full Board));

  • Agenda item; and

  • Position (support, oppose, or comment).

NOTE CHANGES TO ACCEPTING WRITTEN TESTIMONY DUE TO SUNSHINE LAW CHANGES: Written testimony is strongly encouraged as the primary means of submitting testimony and may be submitted on any agenda item up to the start of the meeting by emailing it to Testimony.BOE@boe.hawaii.gov. Testimony received 49 hours before the relevant meeting will be posted on the Board's website and a notification will be sent to the Board's agenda mailing list. Testimony received after 49 hours but before the meeting start time will be posted on the Board's website. Testimony sent to any other email address or testimony submitted after the meeting start time will be processed as late testimony and will be posted after the meeting. The Board highly recommends that you submit written testimony in addition to your oral testimony. If you experience technical difficulties while trying to provide oral testimony, written testimony ensures your comments get to the Board. If you would like to submit written testimony, please review these instructions.

​All testimony is permanently posted publicly on the Board of Education website and referenced in the Board's minutes. Consider this when including personal information (including email addresses, phone numbers, names, and pictures) in your testimony.  If you do not want your personal information posted, redact or omit all personal information, submit your testimony as an attachment and include "NO PERSONAL INFORMATION" in the subject line. 

Oral Testimony
The Board accepts oral testimony both in-person and virtually. Both in-person and virtual testifiers must sign up using the Testimony sign up form using the instructions below. 
  1. Determine at which meeting you want to testify. 
  2. Complete and submit the appropriate form below.
  3. If you want to testify on more than one agenda item, complete and submit a form for each agenda item on which you would like to testify. You may testify only once on each agenda item. If you sign up to testify on the same agenda item multiple times, your name will be called only once.
  4. You may use a unique identifier (i.e., an alias) instead of your real name to maintain anonymity, but on the day of the meeting you must log into WebEx with the same identifier you used to sign up for testimony or you will not be unmuted. If you are testifying in-person, you must answer when your unique identifier is called. 
  5. The testimony sign-up form will be open from the time the meeting agenda is posted (six days before the meeting) until the meeting is adjourned.

The Board takes relevant oral testimony at points indicated on its agendas. Each individual is allotted four (4) minutes, but the chairperson can reduce the amount of time allowed to testify. A link to sign-up to testify will be posted six days before the meeting.

More important information on how to orally testify at a virtual Board of Education meeting is available by clicking on the following link: How to Testify Orally at a Virtual Board of Education Meeting_March 2023.pdf