After a year of independent learning for Oak Park High School students taking American Sign Language, the Oak Park Unified School District took steps to offer the class on campus again the following school year.
“We wanted to offer ASL again in 2026–2027,” Principle Mat McClenahan wrote to the Talon. “The position was posted in early October, which is earlier than the typical hiring cycle, to maximize outreach and allow for contingency planning.”
The course was not offered this year because the district could not find a qualified ASL teacher to teach the class in time.
“Recruitment began in early spring and continued through the summer, with multiple repostings and direct outreach to universities, ASL education programs and professional networks,”McClenahan wrote. “By July 10, no other viable applicants had emerged, leaving insufficient time to complete hiring and onboarding before the start of school. As a result, ASL was not included in this year’s course schedule.”
This announcement presented challenges to students who had planned to take four years of ASL at OPHS.
“I was upset because I was planning on doing ASL for four years, just because some colleges don’t really accept ASL, and now that was maybe not a possibility,” junior Maya Gelfand said.
The sudden change also posed difficulties for Oak Park High School administration, as it aimed to find alternatives to ASL for students within a tight timeframe.
“The timing of this change was difficult and required flexibility from students and families,” McClenahan wrote. “Counselors worked to ensure that students had viable options to continue their world language studies. These included switching to Spanish, French or Mandarin on campus where space allowed, or enrolling in approved outside ASL programs.”
The change affected each student differently, depending on their progress in the subject.
“Students who had not yet started ASL were generally able to transition without significant disruption,” McClenahan wrote. “Students entering ASL 3 or 4 faced more limited choices, and we worked closely with them and their families to identify acceptable alternatives and confirm credit acceptance.”
With the help of the district, students seeking to take higher level ASL courses found alternatives to finish their credits.
“Once we confirmed that ASL would not be offered on campus, we provided a list of UC/CSU-approved outside providers for ASL 1-4 and Honors,” McClenahan wrote. “These included community college and online options, and were reviewed for alignment with credit and transfer requirements.”
The last minute nature of the situation left many students unable to enroll in a free course, because most courses were already filled.
“Oak Park put out a list of a couple of [programs], but because it was so late, there were really only one or two that worked,” Gelfand said. “One of them had a huge wait list and was pretty much full already, so the options were kind of limited. The one that I’m in was $600.”
OPUSD made an effort to mitigate the costs of these programs for students.
“To support students affected by this unanticipated change, OPUSD established a reimbursement process for families experiencing financial hardship,” McClenahan wrote.
Despite the challenges with the course, ASL students hope to take the subject at OPHS in the coming future.
“I would like to take ASL here as a junior,” sophomore Shashank Brahmandam said. “It would save time, money and effort and would honestly just be a lot more convenient. Plus, I can learn better on campus than I can with an online course.”
The district recognizes the value of ASL and is working to offer it at OPHS once again. However, on Mar. 10, 2026, students and families received an update on the course.
“Despite extensive national outreach … we have been unable to secure a qualified candidate,” McClenahan wrote in a district wide email. “As a result, ASL will not be offered at OPHS for the 2026-2027 school year.”
