As your district’s 2019 graduation date approaches, ASBSD wants to remind schools that any student choosing to wear an eagle plume or eagle feather during the graduation ceremony must be allowed to do so.

 

In 2018, the legislature passed House Bill 1252, which prohibits certain government entities from prohibiting any person from wearing traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at a school honoring or graduation ceremony, and former Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed it into law.

 

The law specifically defines tribal regalia as an eagle feather or eagle plume and was enacted on July 1, 2018, which makes this year the first year it is active.

 

“Tribal regalia is clearly defined in statute and schools must comply with it should they have students choose to wear either an eagle feather or eagle plume at the graduation ceremony,” ASBSD Executive Director Wade Pogany said.

 

If you have questions related to compliance requirements, please contact Pogany at wpogany@asbsd.org or at 605-773-2500 or ASBSD Director of Policy and Legal Services Gerry Kaufman at gkaufman@asbsd.org or at 605-773-2513.