A bill to establish charter schools that focus on tribal language and culture is moving forward in South Dakota.
Senate Bill 66 authorizes up to four Oceti Sakowin schools. The name comes from the Lakota phrase for "People of the Seven Council Fires," meaning the people of the greater Sioux Nation.
“All we’re asking is let us be who we are,”
State Sen. Troy Heinert (D), a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the sponsor of the bill, said at a committee hearing in January, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.
In the past, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has said she
favors school choice, a phrase frequently used by conservatives and Republican to describe options such as charter schools. However, she opposed the Senate Bill 66 when it was introduced, according to news reports.
Noem now supports the proposal after changes were made, The Associated Press reports. Her office took part in a second
hearing on the bill on Tuesday, the AP said.
A
third hearing, before the Senate Education Committee, is being held on Thursday to go over the changes, which are still being finalized, the AP reported.
The Oceti Sakowin charter school concept builds on
core concepts already
developed for the South Dakota Office of Indian Education, a state agency. The
Indian Education Act of 2007 mandates the teaching of history and culture in the classroom.
Read More on the Story
South Dakota governor backs Native American culture schools
(The Associated Press February 19, 2020)
How a community-based school could help close the Native American achievement gap
(The Sioux Falls Argus Leader February 7, 2020)
Sioux Falls School District opposes charter school bill
(KELO January 27, 2020)
Native American charter school bill filed in South Dakota Legislature
(KEVN/KOTA TV January 22, 2020)
Note: Thumbnail photo of Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Place in Ft. Pierre, South Dakota, by Keith Ewing
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