LIBERTY, Mo. - As its Hispanic population increases, Liberty Public Schools is adapting to its changing enrollment.

Over the last 10 years, the district's Hispanic population has increased 300 percent. Many of its students are from Mexico, Central and South America.

Next year the district's high schools will offer a Spanish heritage speaker course.

"Theres a definite need for being able to offer a course that is challenging for them, said Tina Phillips, who teachers Spanish at Liberty North High School.

Right now, Liberty high schools only offer traditional Spanish courses, for students who know very little or no Spanish at all. There are no classes designed for students who speak Spanish as a first language.

Phillips is helping create the curriculum for the Spanish heritage speaker course. The goal will be to provide native Spanish-speaking students with a specific course to strengthen their reading and writing abilities.

"We want them to be challenged and we want to meet their needs, she said. "We will be talking about the immigration issue, we will be talking about anything in the news. So we will be able to cover a much broader area and really prepare them for college or life.

The new class was approved by the Board of Education during its Jan. 17 meeting.

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Ariel Rothfield can be reached atAriel.Rothfield@KSHB.com.

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Liberty Public Schools to offer Spanish heritage speaker course - KSHB