Education officials yesterday defended their decision to close public schools across five islands, saying it was made in consultation with the National Weather Service, state Civil Defense and other state officials.

Predictions of severe weather didn't exactly pan out, but the forecasts prompted education officials to close schools on O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i.

About 150,000 public school students were affected.

Sandy Goya, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, said school officials made the decision early — the announcement came at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday — to give parents ample opportunity to arrange for childcare or to communicate with their employers.

"Based on the best information available, and for the safety of our schools and students and employees, we made the decision," Goya said.

60 MPH WIND FORECAST

Goya said the recommendation to close schools came during a 3 p.m. conference call on Thursday with the National Weather Service and disaster response officials. Forecasters were warning that winds could reach 60 mph in some areas.

"University of Hawai'i, the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools — everyone was on that call. We all made our decisions around the same time," Goya said.

Shortly following DOE's 4:25 p.m. announcement that schools would be closed, the state Department of Human Resources Development, which oversees state workers, announced that all state workers should stay home from work yesterday.

Had education officials waited to make a decision on school closures, the decision by the state would have closed schools regardless, Goya said.

The University of Hawai'i campuses — except for those on the Big Island — and dozens of private schools also made similar announcements.

Meanwhile, parents scrambled to arrange for childcare or stayed home from work because of the school closures.

OFFERING OPTIONS

Seven Boys and Girls Club locations on O'ahu opened at 7:30 a.m. yesterday believing that parents would need a place for their kids to go.

Francis Rivero, director of the Hale Pono Clubhouse in 'Ewa Beach, said about 60 children showed up.

"Because there are many working families in the area, we wanted to be available to parents who needed a safe place for their children," Rivero said.

The majority of the kids who showed up were regular members. But a handful were from families who needed to find childcare at the last minute

Jackie Pearl, a mother of three children, said the closures may have been an overreaction.

"I remember having a lot worse weather than this and not closing schools," Pearl said.

Her oldest daughter, Anna, is an eighth-grader at the University of Hawai'i Laboratory School. Her son, Jon, is a seventh-grader at Mid-Pacific Institute, while her younger daughter, Sophia, attends 'Aina Haina.

"Luckily my husband works the night shift, so he stayed home with the kids," Pearl said.

Pearl said her oldest daughter's friend stayed the day at her house because her parents were working all day.

Kehau Glassco, a Kailua High School social studies teacher, remembers the last windy storm in December and said canceling school was a good idea.

"We had only about 100 kids (out of about 900) come to school so it was a wasted day," Glassco said. "You can't do anything of substance."