By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

While earning a half-unit credit in speech, drama, debate or broadcasting has long been a graduation requirement for Fayette County's high school students, there may soon be an “out” for those swamped with advanced placement courses and additional state requirements for the “college preparatory plus seal” for their diplomas.

Stuart Bennett, Fayette County's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told the board Monday night that he had received numerous complaints from top students in the county who have had to go to summer school or evening school to meet all the local and state graduation requirements. In essence, there is not enough time in the school day to squeeze everything in.

“Seven academic periods in a day is too much,” Bennett said.

Rewording the current local requirement for the benefit of this “top tier” of students who are taking a maximum load of academic classes or endorsement programs in fine arts or vocational studies may allow them to exempt the speech and drama unit.

Bennett said he checked on the transcripts of those students facing a time crunch and found them to rank in the top 3 to 4 percent of their classes. Many were taking three or four advanced placement classes.

“We have more students taking advanced placement classes than any county in the metro area,” Bennett noted. Nearly 20 percent of the district's high school students take some advanced placement classes, according to Bennett, and have an 82 percent success rate compared to a national average of a 59 to 60 percent success rate.

The importance of speech and oral communication should not be diminished in the schools, Bennett said, and he proposed developing a curriculum for all students in speech starting with kindergarten.