As parents and members of the South Orangetown community, we are proud of the education and opportunities our district provides to our children. We also believe there is an opportunity to continue building a school community where every student has the chance to feel included, understood, and connected.

We are asking the South Orangetown Central School District to consider adding American Sign Language (ASL) as a World Language option for our students.

ASL is a meaningful addition to the work our Special Education Department already does to support students with diverse learning and communication needs. It can provide another way for some students to communicate and participate while giving all students the opportunity to learn a valuable language and life skill. We believe ASL should be an option for every student, not a program limited to students receiving Special Education services.

Our children learn in different ways, communicate in different ways, and have different strengths. Providing more opportunities to learn and connect benefits our entire school community. ASL can help students develop communication skills, confidence, awareness, and a greater appreciation for different ways of learning and interacting with others.

We also believe this is about student choice. Our students should have access to a variety of World Language opportunities that allow them to discover their interests and develop skills they can carry with them beyond South Orangetown schools.

We are asking the South Orangetown Central School District to:

• Explore offering ASL as a World Language option.
• Assess student and family interest in an ASL program.
• Investigate staffing, curriculum, scheduling, and other requirements.
• Consider launching a pilot ASL course with the potential for future expansion.

If you believe South Orangetown students deserve more opportunities to learn, communicate, and connect, please sign this petition and show the district that there is community support for bringing ASL to our schools. Together, we can continue making South Orangetown a district where every student has the opportunity to learn, participate, and belong.