Board approves Program of Studies addendum: ASL dual‑enrollment and additional dual‑credit options

The East Penn board unanimously approved an addendum to Emmaus High School’s 2024–25 Program of Studies that adds four course options, including American Sign Language 1 as an asynchronous dual‑enrollment offering and dual‑credit designations for 11th- and 12th-grade honors English.

Administrators said the ASL course will be offered through a partnership with L Tri C and will be asynchronous but supported by an instructor reachable by email; “it is asynchronous… they’d have to email and wait for responses, but there is a human on the other line,” an administrator said. The course will be available to juniors and seniors as an option alongside existing world-language offerings.

The addendum also formalizes additional dual-enrollment opportunities developed in cooperation with L Tri C (the community college partner). Administration framed the additions as a way to expand college-level access without requiring high-school students to travel to the college campus.

Board members expressed interest in eventually expanding ASL to an in-person format if demand warrants and discussed the community service value of offering more language options. The measure passed by roll-call vote with recorded ayes.