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The South Dakota Board of Education Standards will hold its second meeting since revealing the revised social studies standards that drew controversy again this summer.

A day before the official deadline to register or submit public comments, the Board from teachers, school board members, parents, school administrators and more. The Monday opposing the proposed social studies standards as well.

The standards originally drew criticism in 2021 after the state in the first draft. Gov. Kristi Noem ordered the standards revision process to restart in 2022.

The DOE released its revised standards in August, but quickly drew criticism again after the South Dakota Education Association said that the standards discourage inquiry-based learning and emphasize rote memorization, adding that Native American history and South Dakota history are 鈥渁fterthoughts or lumped in with other standards.鈥�

鈥淭hey wildly deviate from current social studies standards and will upend the curriculum for every teacher, every classroom and every school,鈥� shortly after the revised standards were released. 鈥淭he proposed standards are too time specific and only focus on events from 1492 to 2008 raising many questions about how teachers would approach teaching current events.鈥�

An found that the 2015 standards are less specific than the detailed 2022 document, which is nearly twice as long, among other notable differences.

The revised standards are 鈥減oliticized,鈥� said Tim Graf, superintendent of the Harrisburg School District 鈥� one of South Dakota鈥檚 fastest growing school districts. The changes involved a 15-member committee and , according to the Associated Press. Of the three educators on the committee, all three opposed the revised standards, Graf added.

Graf won鈥檛 be making public comments at Monday鈥檚 meeting, since he already took a personal day in September to drive three hours to Aberdeen and make public comments at the first Board revision meeting. His public comments were short but focused on his concern for the future of South Dakota public education with the state government involving itself in picking standards and curriculum.

鈥淭his concerns me greatly about what the future of public education is if this just becomes a political football for any future curriculum and options,鈥� Graf told South Dakota Searchlight on Thursday.

The Board normally approves and is involved in curriculum and standards for public education across the state. But not to this degree of interference and control.

This is far bigger than just social studies standards.

鈥淚 believe this is just another example of South Dakota taking its teachers for granted and not respecting the work they do as professionals,鈥� Graf said. 鈥淲hat concerns me is if we lose teachers over this 鈥� There is nothing more important than having a great teacher in classrooms and we鈥檙e having more and more trouble being able to fill our classrooms with teachers. This will exacerbate those concerns further.鈥�

Another Harrisburg School District representative and a Harrisburg School Board member plan to make public comments on Monday. Graf encourages parents of South Dakota students to read through the revisions themselves.

The South Dakota Board of Education Standards鈥� will take place Monday at 9 a.m. at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, where board members will hear public comments on the issue.

The BOE鈥檚 first public meeting on the revision was held in Aberdeen and included 707 written public comments ahead of the meeting, with the majority opposed to the standards and only 67 proponents.

People interested in presenting in-person or remote public comment must register with the Department of Education by 2 p.m. on Nov. 18 by emailing [email protected]. Those interested in submitting written comments must do so online or by end-of-day Nov. 18.

Opponents and proponents will each receive 90 minutes for public comment. With 35 opponents who were signed up to speak in Aberdeen in September, only 27 of them fit into the 90-minute section.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. South Dakota Searchlight maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seth Tupper for questions: [email protected]. Follow South Dakota Searchlight on and .

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