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Senate rejects bill to incorporate Oceti Sakowin essential understandings into required standards
Summary
Senate Bill 196, which would have directed incorporation of Oceti Sakowin essential understandings into statewide education standards, failed on the Senate floor after debate about existing curriculum coverage, implementation capacity and local control; vote was 7–28 (7 yeas, 28 nays).
PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Senate voted down Senate Bill 196, which sought to direct the Board of Education standards to incorporate the Oceti Sakowin essential understandings (OSEU) into the statewide curriculum, after extended debate on implementation, teacher training and whether the material already appears in standards.
Senator Grove (State Senator), sponsor of SB196, described the bill as a path to standardize OSEU instruction statewide and to involve the South Dakota Indian Education Advisory Council and tribal education directors in the Board of Education’s standards revision process. Grove cited survey data she left at senators’ desks showing increased educator awareness and support for OSEU content between 2021 and 2023.
Opponents argued the content is already included in social studies standards and questioned the need for a legislative mandate. Senator Carly (State Senator) read multiple pages from the state Department of Education standards to argue that OSEU content already appears in K‑12 social studies and warned the bill would create accreditation problems and require specialized teacher training.
Senators in support described potential benefits for Native and non‑Native students and said integrating culturally relevant content could improve engagement and outcomes for Native students. The Senate adopted an amendment from the sponsor to address committee concerns but ultimately rejected the bill on final passage, 7 yeas to 28 nays.
