An Orem Junior High schoolteacher and 20 students have asked the Utah State Board of Education to make signing for the deaf a foreign language elective in the state's secondary schools.

Dan Robertson, a science teacher, has been instructing the students since March in sign language.Robertson argued that sign language is popular with students, as evidenced by about 300 students who expressed interest in taking his after-hours course during the past couple of months.

Board members have referred the request to their State Office of Education staff for further study. Privately, several board members said the idea was a good one.

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