South Dakota Bill Aims To Gut High School Transgender Sports Policy

Legislation aimed at transgender students participating in South Dakota high school athletics was introduced on Monday.

The Senate bill would void the South Dakota High School Activities Association's policy, adopted in 2015, that allows transgender students to participate on sports teams that reflect their gender identities rather than the biological sex listed on their birth certificate. Instead, the student's sex on their birth certificate would be the "sole determinant" of which sports teams the student may participate, according to the legislation introduced by Sen. Jim Bolin, R-Canton, and Rep. Brunner, R-Nisland.

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Swier School Law Counsel™ is a boutique education law department within Swier Law Firm.

We recognize the needs of South Dakota's school officials to obtain first-rate legal advice on a broad range of issues. Our attorneys provide creative, timely, and cost-efficient legal strategies that balance the needs of students, parents, employees, and citizens with the interests of keeping a school district on solid legal footing.

Swier School Law Counsel™ and its attorneys author The South Dakota School Law Deskbook™ and South Dakota School Law Notes™. The Group's attorneys also have years of experience teaching the popular "Education and the Law" class at the University of South Dakota School of Law.

Swier Law Firm has served as legal counsel for school districts throughout the state and for the School Administrators of South Dakota and its membership. SASD is an educational association comprised of over 800 school administrators (Superintendents, Business Managers, Principals, Special Education Directors, and Curriculum Directors) throughout South Dakota.