Ryan Ray
The Florida Senate a bill that would classify computer coding as a “foreign language” for purposes of high school credit.
Sen. Jeremy Ring‘s SB 468 passed the upper chamber by a vote of 35-5 after half an hour of heated debate, mostly among Ring’s fellow Democrats.
Sen. Dwight Bullard said he agreed coding is an important skill for students to learn, but stressed that many students in poorer schools across the states lack a personal computer on which to code.
“I agree coding is important, but we set ourselves up for failure because we haven’t addressed these outstanding problems with access,” Bullard said.
Sen. Bill Montford, a former Leon County Schools superintendent, took the debate as an opportunity to argue for longer – and more numerous – school days.
“This is a great idea,” Montford said. “The problem is we continue to add more and more requirements to the limited hours we have during the day.”
Another of Ring’s fellow Democrats, Sen. Jeff Clemens, also debated against the bill as did Sen. Maria Sachs.
Clemens cited the need for college-bound students to be required to take a foreign language. Clemens also said students who speak a foreign language do better on standardized tests, and makes them better at the kind of multitasking that the contemporary digital economy requires.
Sachs said the bill would be placed in a STEM-style curriculum.
A House companion bill sponsored by Rep. Janet Adkins is awaiting a second reading before the full chamber.
