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Francis Howell School District says black studies classes will return next year after days of backlash

Parents and students are hopeful but not confident the board will keep its word because of its track record.

ST CHARLES, Mo. — After days of reports and even a petition from students, the Francis Howell School Board president and superintendent say black studies classes will return for the 2024-2025 school year.

The Francis Howell Board of Education voted last week to remove black literature and history electives because of a ‘controversial standard.’

This move upset students and inspired a petition that garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

“I think it's unbelievable for them to discredit my history and everyone else's, you know, teach all these other things about history, but, you know, discredit us and choose not to show what we have or what has happened or what is happening now as a matter of fact,” Francis Howell student Isabella Duncan said.

On Thursday, School Board President Adam Bertrand and the Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Roumpos released a joint statement saying the classes would return next school year and students can sign up for them in January, “We are confident in our academic team’s ability to bring forth a curriculum that is rigorous and largely politically neutral.”

“I would just like to know what they mean by nonpolitical because race as an idea itself, it has to do with your skin color. And I don't understand how that's political. You don't have control over what race you are assigned at birth because you don't have any control over being brought into this world," Francis Howell student Makayla Clark said.

"So I just want to I want someone to explain to me why this is considered a political topic because I have been told by people that the reason they initially removed these classes had to do with the fact that they were too political and too biased. But I would still like an explanation as to how they got to that conclusion," she said. 

Parents and students are hopeful but not confident the board will keep its word because of its track record.

“They got rid of the resolution against racism and discrimination, that was kind of the first step and There was a proposed bathroom bill that is discriminatory against our LGBTQ students. And so they're just kind of trying to chip away at all the things that unite us and make people feel included,” Francis Howell parent Jennifer Clark said. 

St. Charles County NAACP president Zebrina Looney says the resolution against racism and the classes was a connected step forward.

“It was to heal wounds, wounds in this district, in particular, 10 years ago when students from Normandy came over here, there were a lot of things that happened and a lot of hurt was caused. In their efforts to try to bring that connection together and reunite the community, they put that resolution in place and they put these classes in place. Now with this new board's decision to remove them, it has ripped the band-aid back off,” Looney said.

The current curriculum for black studies classes will be taught through the end of this school year before the change is made.

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