TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - High school students in Florida could soon be able to count computer coding classes as credits for a foreign language.
The Florida Senate passed the legislation 35-5 on Wednesday. The bill (SB 468) was sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Ring, who is a former Yahoo! Executive.
The state requires students to take a foreign language for two years. It would take effect for the 2018-19 school year and Ring said it will be the first in the country. Ring said in his closing comments that other states are looking at doing the same thing.
Opponents of the bill said that computer coding and foreign languages should not be considered one in the same. The bill now heads to the Florida House, which is considering similar legislation.
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