Students express concern over lack of honors level in required credits

Storey Ahl ’25, Staff Writer|March 20, 2023

Graphic by Storey Ahl ’25

Course selection reveals the limited options to fulfill the civics requirement to graduate high school in Connecticut.

As sophomores and juniors begin their course registration for next school year, they’ll surely notice that when they look at the Program of Studies on the Staples High School website, Staples only offers A level or AP level classes in order to attain the required civics credit.

According to the head of the social studies department, Lauren Francese, the state requirement to graduate is a 0.5 credit course in Civics and United States Government that can only be met through specific courses such as U.S. Government A, AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. Government and Politics (We The People) and Current Issues: U.S. Media & Politics.

“While there are civics components within lots of social studies courses,” Francese said, “students need to take a course that directly teaches about the US government and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.”

For students that would like to challenge themselves but not take on the rigorous burden of an AP Government class, these circumstances are not ideal.

“I thought AP would be too hard,” Rohan Wadhwani ’24 said. “I was already taking three APs this year, and I wouldn’t have been able to handle four. If there was an honors class, it definitely would have been better for my schedule.”