The public speaking requirement was removed at the Nov. 11 District 219 board meeting. Students who have not taken a public speaking class no longer need it to graduate, with the exception of the class of 2026. This has caused a mixed reaction in students and staff.
It is district policy that students already enrolled in a public speaking course for second semester cannot change their class. According to counselor Ben Grais, he has only had seniors ask to drop out of their public speaking course.
“It’s in [students’] schedules, so the hope is that they’ll continue to keep what they have,” Grais said. “I believe a lot of our public speaking classes are very valuable classes, so hopefully kids recognize that too, and they are continuing to take it whether it’s a requirement or not.”
At the District 219 board meeting on Oct. 7, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Christine Gonzales said removing the requirement will give students more freedom when choosing their courses. Grais feels the same, as he believes students will now be less restricted in completing graduation requirements.
“Since it’s not a requirement anymore, it’ll really be an open discussion about what electives are available and what they want to take,” Grais said. “We have very set requirements, you have the social studies elective, the health requirement – we have built in requirements in our four year planning. It’s nice for students to have a choice.”
According to the SchooLinks Course Catalog, Digital Storytelling, Broadcasting Production, Theater Workshop, AVID 9/10 and AP Seminar will be general elective credits. Introduction to Debate and AP African American Studies will be social studies credits, Public Speaking will be an English credit and STEM Inquiry and Research will be a science credit. This shift, however, does not concern AP Seminar teacher Michele Hettinger, who has not had students dropping her class, as she mainly sees sophomores taking it for the AP credit.
“We have not had anybody drop because of losing the public speaking credit,” Hettinger said. “I do know some people at North were saying they were going to drop, but we haven’t had that sort of problem.”
Although it is district policy that students enrolled in a public speaking course for second semester cannot drop out, some students still have. Junior Aqsa Habeebuddin was able to switch out of her public speaking class for second semester due to a scheduling error. Other students, like sophomore Kenny Richter, who are enrolled in a public speaking course this semester, are upset with the change occurring in the middle of the school year.
“You could take a public speaking credit if you want it for college,” Richter said. “I am upset, I could’ve had a better class than theater.”
Hettinger feels the removal was hasty and does not understand why the requirement was removed without much consideration.
“I don’t know where it came from. I know when we first made public speaking a requirement, that was sort of a top-down board decision, and now it feels like it’s a top-down board decision to yank it away,” Hettinger said. “My biggest concern is that they yanked it out of the curriculum, mid-semester, and didn’t grandfather anything in; that just seems strange to me.”
