After five years in existence, Jackie Madrigal’s United States Latino literature class has been approved for a required language arts credit.
The board unanimously approved the class for language arts credit earlier this month. Prior to the approval, which came the same night as several people weighed in on a new mascot policy, Madrigal said her class “is how you honor indigenous people.”
“Tonight, we legitimize and validate the study of the people who have been here before any arbitrary border in the sand, the original inhabitants of the Americas,” Madrigal said to the board. “This class is indigenous, native, Latino, Afro-Latino and every other hue of melanin in between literature. That is how you honor indigenous people.”
The Shawnee Mission North English Language Learners teacher worked for years to get the course approved by the district’s board of education after developing the class in 2013. Students have been taking the course as an elective in addition to their required language arts credit, such as an English course — meaning the student’s workload doubled, as they read, write and examine texts in Madrigal’s class, as well.
Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, students can earn either an elective credit or a language arts credit by taking the U.S. Latino literature class. Madrigal said the credit approval validates U.S Latino literature by it no longer being “something extra, something on top of” students’ other classes.
“2020 has been abysmal, and I cannot stand here and pretend to be pleased with every decision that has been made in this board room,” Madrigal said at Monday’s board of education meeting. “But, I can at least say that this tonight, is the best thing to come out of 2020.”
Madrigal struggled to connect with her schoolwork as a Latina student, and the intent behind the class is to get U.S. Latino literature into her student’s hands. The class discusses the Latino experience in the United States and has an inventory of more than 600 books either written by Latino authors or focused on Latino stories.
