UPDATE JANUARY 21, 2022:
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A Republican-dominated South Dakota House committee has rejected Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposal to require public schools to have a moment of silence to start the day. The Republican governor first billed the proposal at a conservative Christian conference last year (2021) as “putting prayer back in schools.” But a House committee rejected the idea after education groups argued that voluntary prayer is already allowed in schools and the proposed law would have saddled teachers with an unclear mandate. The Republican-dominated House Education committee rejected the bill on a nine to six vote. But it could still be revived with support from one-third of House members.
UPDATE DECEMBER 21, 2021:
Last week (Dec. 13, 2021), Gov. Kristi Noem announced she’s drafted legislation to create a moment of silence at the beginning of each day in South Dakota public schools, a move she said would restore protections for prayer in the classroom.
But, Noem says, the bill should not be construed as a religious exercise, pointing out that it would give students the opportunity to engage in “voluntary prayer,” not mandate it.
Noem knows this bill is no slam dunk.
Yesterday (Dec. 20), Noem announced she’s drafted a bill that would block teaching critical race theory in South Dakota schools, public universities and technical colleges.
The ACLU of South Dakota says it opposes the bill, saying it could censor US history discussions. The ACLU says local school districts should decide their own curriculums.
(Watertown Radio contributed to this story.)
ORIGINAL STORY DECEMBER 13, 2021:
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem released the text of legislation to restore protections for prayer in schools. This bill will guarantee an opportunity to pray in schools at the start of every school day.
“Every student deserves the opportunity to begin their day with a calm, silent moment,” said Noem. “I hope students will take this opportunity to say a quick prayer or reflect on their upcoming day. However they choose to take advantage of this time, it will be beneficial to students and teachers alike.”
Noem previewed this legislation earlier this year when she promised to put prayer back in South Dakota schools. The text of the proposed legislation is below or available on the Legislative Research Council website.
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