A hoghoused bill is set to survey schools for civics information.
Senate Bill 52, which requires schools to provide information for a survey of the adequacy of S.D. civics education, was hoghoused on the Senate floor and passed 30-0.
Sen. Jim Bolin, the bill’s prime sponsor, moved the hoghouse amendment on Senate Bill 52, which originally added a half unit of civics education to the units of credit required for high school graduation.
The latest version of SB 52 would require the following:
- The amount of credit required in civics, United States government, United States history, and South Dakota history to meet local graduation requirements;
- A description of the teaching of the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and whether the standards are incorporated into the general curriculum or utilized as stand-alone instruction;
- A list of course offerings in civics, United States government, United States history, and South Dakota history and the corresponding grade levels at which the courses are taught;
- A summary of the academic credentials of the educators teaching the courses;
- A summary of local government requirements and whether the local requirements meet or exceed the state graduation requirements;
- A summary of the application of graduation requirements for students who graduate mid-year;
- Any other information related to instruction in civics, United States government, United States history, or South Dakota history that is requested by the secretary of education.
Sen. Bolin called the bill a “compromise” from the original version, but noted he did “not have 100 percent agreement” with all the education organizations.
ASBSD is opposed to the bill, which now heads to the House for review, based on the added mandate on schools the bill would implement and that curriculums established at the local level are already required to meet the graduation requirements set by the state.
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