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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
The Tennessee Board of Education is considering a proposal that would change high school requirements for Tennessee students, eliminating the mandatory two years of a foreign language.
The proposal was made by Board Chairman Bob Eby. According to Eby, some students may find the opportunity to take additional courses in math or science to be more beneficial.
“There are certainly benefits to those courses,” Eby stated. “And it is recognized state board rules provide for students to request a waiver of the world language requirement. But why should students have to request a waiver of this requirement if their ultimate path for their post-secondary success does not include utilization of a foreign language?”
Not all board members are in favor of the initiative, however.
Dr. Ina Maxwell, who was appointed to the board by House Speaker Cameron Sexton in 2024, questioned whether the change would leave students without an opportunity to learn about other cultures.
“I do think foreign languages offer opportunities for our young people to explore different cultures and I don’t want that to be lost,” Maxwell said.
2 Responses
I wish I’d been taught to understand Mexican/Spanish. Wasn’t needed in 60s when America was still great.
Instead of a foreign language, how about teaching ASL? The average person is more likely to come in contact with someone using ASL than a foreign language. Most foreign languages have different dialects than the one being taught. I’d much rather learn something of use.