'It's About Time': Black And Latino Studies Course Supported By Fairfield Students

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield students recently spoke in favor of a proposed high school course on Black and Latino studies, but Board of Education members appeared split on whether the class should count toward the school district’s graduation requirements for history.

“This course is needed here in Fairfield and across the state,” said Andrew McKinnis, a senior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School who is involved with Ludlowe Youth for Equity and the Fairfield Equity Coalition. “It will bring a new perspective to the classroom most students haven’t heard.”

The course, called African American, Black, Latino and Puerto Rican Studies, was created in response to a 2019 state law mandating that high schools in Connecticut offer a class in Black and Latino studies. District officials expect to offer the course in the 2022-23 school year, but board members expressed differing opinions about if the class should be one of three options to fulfill the junior year history requirements.

The course as presented to the board Tuesday would meet the requirements, and both McKinnis and a Fairfield middle schooler, who is co-president of the Beloved Community Club, supported making the class an option to fill the requirements.

“When I heard that there were teachers who were asking for this course to be the U.S. history requirement, I thought to myself, it’s about time,” the middle school student said, adding the class would be a space where students of color could cultivate pride in their history. “This country was built by my Black ancestors.”

Students who take the full-year course would have the opportunity to earn three college credits from Sacred Heart University. The class is expected to be taught by instructors who are already in the district and is not anticipated to generate a significant increase in staffing costs.

Tuesday’s discussion was not the first time the board has talked about the class, but the course underwent major changes in the interim, according to Superintendent Mike Cummings.

“The proposed course is the telling of the American story from what has been, until now, an ignored perspective,” he said. “This course opens the gate for our students to grow in their appreciation for all of our stories.”

Board member Jennifer Maxon-Kennelly, however, opposed allowing the class to fulfill a history graduation requirement.

“There's a tremendous amount that won’t be covered because of the perspective and that’s what I’m interested in,” she said. “Do I endorse the course? Yes. Is it invaluable? Yes. But the U.S. history requirement by the state is meant to be a survey.”

Chair Christine Vitale disagreed.

“I do view this as a U.S. history class,” she said, adding she felt the more perspectives covered, the better. “We teach history so our students know where they came from.”

The board did not vote on the course Tuesday, but will likely continue to consider the item at a future meeting.