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Parents ask Nutley board to explore American Sign Language instruction; district to study and offer staff training
Summary
Parents and community members urged the Nutley board to explore offering American Sign Language as a world language; administrators said they will arrange professional development with a Montclair State professor and place ASL on the academic committee agenda.
Parents, an educator and district staff told the Nutley board that community interest in American Sign Language (ASL) is strong and asked the district to begin exploring how ASL might be offered as a world language option.
"Nearly 200 people responded to our survey and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive," said parent and educator Lant Negron, who requested that the district begin investigating ASL as a classroom option. Negron framed the request as an equity and inclusion measure and said respondents across grade levels expressed excitement about access to ASL.
Gina Thomas, a parent and Northley High School PTO president who described her daughter as profoundly deaf, urged the district to start conversations rather than seek immediate implementation. "I'm not asking for immediate implementation — I'm asking that we begin the conversation," Thomas said, describing costs families face to secure interpreters and the potential benefits for students and community belonging.
Administration representatives said the district has already surveyed staff and families and that 85 teachers volunteered interest in learning ASL to support classroom instruction. Officials said they had contacted a professor at Montclair State University to plan professional development and that the academic committee will place ASL on its agenda for further study.
"A good first step would be professional development so teachers can learn how ASL could be integrated into early childhood and high-need classrooms," an administration speaker said. The board also asked that the academic committee formally consider the topic at an upcoming meeting.
What happens next: administration will share survey results with board members, pursue professional development planning with Montclair State University, and refer the item to the academic committee for an agenda and next steps. Parents requested ongoing community involvement in planning and timelines.
