An incident where schoolchildren were hit with pepper spray at an Oʻahu school has added momentum to calls for counselors, not cops, on campus.
In late February, a Honolulu police officer deployed pepper spray against Kapolei Middle School students while trying to break up a fight, a rare use of force against Hawaiʻi minors in an educational setting.
Emily Hills, senior attorney with the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, said she would like to see more counselors and mental health professionals addressing issues on campus rather than police, who can sometimes escalate tensions…