South Dakota
Hamlin Goes After New Home Schoolers
At its August 10 meeting, Hamlin School District No. 28-3 refused to approve home school applications from any new families. The board voted to approve all home school applications for students who had been home schooled in the past, but requested a special board meeting two weeks later with new families to “discuss your application for home schooling.” This precedent of “requesting” applicants to appear before the school board is extremely disturbing.
Home School Legal Defense Association strongly urge South Dakota home schooling families to take a stand against this practice, which intimidates the most vulnerable families: those who are just beginning to teach their own children at home. By singling out the new home schoolers, who tend to be least experienced and most fearful, the public schools could conceivably establish, through procedure, a restriction not currently written in statute.
HSLDA will defend any South Dakota family who refuses to go to a school board meeting as part of the annual procedure. While we normally do not accept families for membership after they have had a negative contact with their school district, this matter is too urgent and affects the new home schoolers too seriously to ignore. We therefore request all new South Dakota home schooling families to contact HSLDA, whether or not they are members, if their school districts try to require such meetings as a condition for exemption.
Second Grade Testing Still Looms
As reported in the last Court Report, the South Dakota Department of Education and Cultural Affairs claims that home schoolers must now take second grade tests, in addition to the fourth, eighth, and eleventh grade tests that have been the standard requirement. HSLDA has explained to the department and to the state attorney general’s office just why this second grade testing may not lawfully be applied to home or private schools. To date, neither the department nor attorney general has responded to our complaint. If the state does not address our constitutional concerns by the spring, we will be in the unpleasant position of advising our member families not to take second grade tests, lest we waive our constitutional objections. We hope that if the department and/or attorney general’s office will not solve this matter by spring, the South Dakota legislature may be willing to address the issue for them.
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South Dakota
Admitted to statehood:
November 2, 1889
Origin of name:
From Sioux for “friend of ally.”
Motto:
Under God, the people rule.
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