Most school districts want statewide transgender policy

By Dana Hess

For S.D. Newspaper Association

PIERRE, S.D. — A survey of member schools shows that the majority of them want the South Dakota Activities High School Association to develop a policy that they can all use when considering the eligibility of transgender students to play high school sports.

“They want a consistent policy,” said SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director James Weaver.

Asked if their school saw a need for a statewide SDHSAA transgender policy, 78 percent of those who responded said yes or yes to some degree.

A resounding 94 percent said no or no to some degree when asked if it should be left to each individual school district to develop its own policy.

Fifty-nine percent of responding schools said no or no to some degree when asked if the Legislature should develop a policy for transgender eligibility.

During a discussion of a revised transgender policy at the SDHSAA June board meeting, executive director Wayne Carney noted the results of the survey.

“The survey said that very clearly: ‘We don’t want 150 different policies,’” Carney said. “They want one.”