Students urge Middle Country district to restore AP Chemistry access for freshmen

Several students addressed the Middle Country Central School District Board of Education during public comment on June 11, urging the district to let freshmen enroll in AP Chemistry rather than delaying the course until later grades.

Sylvia Zhao, who identified herself as “a member of the upcoming sophomore class of Newfield,” told trustees that freshmen previously had access to higher-level courses and that barring them from AP Chemistry creates a gap in learning: “The freshmen willing to rise to the challenge care deeply about their grades, possess ambitions to do well, and have a promising future in class ranks ahead of them.”

Zhao and other speakers said taking AP Chemistry immediately after chemistry honors preserves knowledge of foundational topics such as compounds and the periodic table and prevents students from becoming “rusty” if the class is delayed. “Consistent review and application of topics is essential for success, but without AP Chem, we will not have the chance to review and apply said topics,” Zhao said.

Safina Afroze, who identified herself as “a freshman going into my sophomore year at Northfield High School,” said delaying AP Chemistry can make subsequent science classes harder and argued the course opens pathways to careers such as forensic science and chemical engineering. “By excluding freshmen from this opportunity, we are unintentionally snuffing out bright minds,” she said.

Megan Clark, who stated she is one of the freshmen cut from the program, delivered a short poem and said the concern is not only about grade-point average but about losing continuity with the current teacher. “It’s because of our passion for the subject and our teacher, Miss Mafia, who we want for our AP Chemistry teacher in the following year,” Clark said.

The public-comment period was time-limited; speakers were reminded by board staff that the meeting is a meeting in public, not a public hearing, and that the board does not respond during the session. The transcript records the comments but does not show a formal board response or an immediate change to course enrollment policy.

Why it matters: AP course placement affects students’ course sequences, college preparation and eligibility for advanced credit. The students said the district’s currently stated approach — moving AP Chemistry away from being taken directly after honors chemistry — would interrupt that sequence and potentially affect preparation for other science classes.

The board did not take a formal vote on AP Chemistry access during the June 11 meeting, and no district policy revision was recorded in the meeting materials presented at the session.