Sign Language Now Counts As Foreign Language In N.J. High Schools

Sign language will now count toward high school students’ foreign language requirements for graduation in New Jersey.

Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Monday that allows students to fulfill their foreign language graduation requirement by taking sign language courses instead of spoken languages.

The bill, S1760, said sign language is a world language “for the purpose of meeting any state or local world language requirement for high school graduation.”

The state’s high school students are currently required to earn five world language credits — out of 120 total credits total — before they graduate, according to nj.com. Students can bypass the requirement if they demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language.

The state Senate and Assembly 20 years ago passed a resolution urging school districts to count the study of American Sign Language as a foreign language credit, according to the report.