Two months after Moanalua High School’s athletic director was punched to the ground after a basketball game, state lawmakers are pushing for increased criminal penalties for assaults against educational workers and sports officials.
House Bill 1592, or “Natalie’s Law,” was heard by the House Committee on Education on Feb. 3.
The measure would raise assault charges one class higher when the victim is an educational worker or sports official. According to the Office of the Public Defender, it includes a 30-day minimum jail term while still allowing for judicial discretion.
Supporters argued that threats and hostility toward school staff have increased in recent years.
“In the past five years alone, I’ve had to contact law enforcement three separate times because of parent’s threats and aggression towards me,” said Doug Boyer, Lanaʻi High and Elementary principal.
“I’ve also endured repeated harassment to the point where I had to hide in an office that wasn’t mine and had to wait for Maui PD,” he added.
The Hawai‘i State Department of Education submitted written testimony in support of the measure, stating that it would also provide increased protection for keiki.
“These situations just don’t affect adults, they affect children,” Boyer said. “When schools are forced into emergency action, the trauma impacts the entire school community.”
Tiffany Edwards Hunt, student activities coordinator for Keaʻau Middle School, said our keiki need to be exposed to better examples.
“Many of our kids are coming from homes of trauma,” Hunt said during the hearing. “We are trying to teach children and reprogram them to show that this is not how we resolve conflict.”
On Dec. 12, 2025, 40 year-old Aukusutino Noga was seen assaulting Moanalua High School associate athletic director Natalie Iwamoto outside of the school’s gym. Noga was charged with second-degree assault, a Class C felony, and battery in January.
The bill enhances the charge to a Class B felony, increasing the maximum prison term from five years to ten years.
In a statement, the Oahu Football Officials Association emphasized officials’ role to step onto the field or court to support student-athletes and uphold competition. The association board noted a noticeable increase in hostility toward officials, making it more difficult to retain officials across multiple sports.
The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing that current statues sufficiently penalize assaults against educational workers and sports officials.
“Increasing penalties or adding new laws, especially when we already have similar ones on the books may not be the best way to achieve that,” said Hayley Cheng, the state’s assistant public defender during testimony.
The second reading was passed by the Education Committee with amendments and has been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs for a third reading.
