Must Repeal Athletic Student Transgender Policy
HB1195 is a good bill to repeal the transgender policy of the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA). The SDHSAA has adopted a policy to allow “transgender” students to play on the team opposite their assigned sex at birth. HB1195 would repeal that policy. HB1195 places, in policy, that a student’s sex is determined by what is indicated on his/her birth certificate.
HB1195 passed in the House with a vote of 51-16. Check the votes here. HB1195 now will be heard in the Senate Education Committee.
ACTION: Contact the Senate Education Committee and your state senator and urge him to SUPPORT HB1195. If you don’t know who your senator is, click here to find out.
HB1161 is another bill to repeal the SDHSAA “transgender” policy. HB1161 passed in the House Education Committee with a vote of 9-6 and will be voted on in the House TODAY.
ACTION: Contact your two representatives and ask them to vote YES on HB116. If you don’t know who your representatives are, then click here to find out.
Non-Public Scholarship/Teacher Grant
SB189 is a good bill that will provide a tax credit to insurance companies that contribute to an organization providing educational scholarships to certain students and instructional supply grants to certain teachers and parents.
SB189 will provide scholarships to private school students who qualify. In addition, it will offer grants to public and private school teachers and homeschool parents for supplies. We know that many teachers use their own private funds for classroom supplies or student prizes.
SB189 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee this Thursday, February 19.
ACTION: Contact the Senate Education Committee and your senator and ask them to vote YES on SB189. If you don’t know who your senator is, click here to find out.
Homeschool Students And Interscholastic Activities
SB133 was a bad bill that would have targeted homeschool students. It would require all students leaving an accredited school for an alternative [homeschool] education program to wait one year before participating in interscholastic activities. SB133 was “tabled” in the Senate Education Committee last week. However, it could “be removed from the table” at any time and acted upon. We will be watching.
Science Education
SB114 was a good bill to encourage and protect the teaching of certain scientific information. SB114 would have allowed students to freely explore scientific issues that may be controversial such as evolution, origins, global warming, human cloning, etc. The bill prohibited teachers from promoting any religious doctrine, yet giving them the freedom to help students objectively review these divisive topics.
SB114 was defeated in Senate Education Committee by sending it to the 41st legislative day (killing the bill). Check the votes here. We wanted a NO vote.
Opt Out Of Student Assessments
HB1093 was a good bill that would have allowed parents to opt their children out of school administered assessments.
HB1093 was defeated in the House Education Committee by sending the bill to the 41st legislative day, which essentially kills the bill. Check the votes here. We wanted a NO vote.
Article V Bills
HJR1001 is one of the bills referring to the Article V convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention or Con Con. It passed in the House with a vote of 39-30. Click here to check the votes.
It was voted on in the Senate, but failed to receive the required 18 votes. So it was then “reconsidered”, and HJR1001 will have its final vote in the Senate TODAY.
Click here for more information about HJR1001.
ACTION: Ask your senator to vote NO on the Article V bill. If you don’t know who your senator is, click here to find out.
God bless you for your faithfulness in prayer and action.