FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021

CONTACT: Ruth Raveling, South Dakota Department of Education, 605-773-2593

State law requires Board of Education Standards meeting postponed to Oct. 25

PIERRE, S.D. – The next meeting of the South Dakota Board of Education Standards has been postponed to Oct. 25 at the Ramkota Convention Center in Aberdeen. This meeting will include the public hearing for proposed content standards in several career and technical education career clusters, fine arts, and social studies. The meeting was previously scheduled for Sept. 20 in Aberdeen and is being postponed to comply with state law requirements for these hearings.

Per state law, public notice for the meeting was given in August announcing that it would be held at Holgate Middle School in Aberdeen. State statute requires public notice of any changes for public hearings for content standards be given at least 30 days in advance of a meeting being scheduled. 

A bigger venue has been selected to ensure an open process that does not disrupt learning for students. Because of the change in venue, a new notice must be issued in accordance with state law. 

“We want to ensure a productive environment for these hearings and are working to accommodate what we expect will be an enthusiastic turnout for the Aberdeen hearing. We look forward to working with the Board of Education Standards, educators, and the public through the process of adopting standards that ensure our expectations for student learning reflect South Dakota values,” said Secretary of Education Tiffany Sanderson.

State law requires four public hearings on any proposed changes to content standards. In addition to the rescheduled Oct. 25 hearing in Aberdeen, a hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15 in Sioux Falls. At the October meeting, the board will set dates for the remaining hearings to be held in Rapid City and Pierre in 2022. 

To read the content standards currently under review and to submit public comment, visit https://doe.sd.gov/contentstandards/review.aspx. 

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