Bill > HR178

This Resolution requests the Department of Education to establish sensory rooms in all public schools for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a group of developmental disorders affecting communication and behavior. These rooms are therapeutic spaces equipped with specialized items to provide personalized sensory input, helping students with special needs, including the over two thousand students identified with ASD in Hawaii, to calm themselves, improve focus, and better regulate their behaviors, ultimately enhancing their ability to learn and interact. The resolution outlines a phased implementation plan, prioritizing non-Oahu elementary schools without special education classes first, followed by other elementary schools, then middle and intermediate schools, and finally high schools, with a similar prioritization for non-Oahu schools without special education classes. Certified copies of this request will be sent to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Interim Superintendent of Education.