Education secretary fires back after superintendents criticize social studies standards

DOE Secretary says grievances illustrate the problem new standards aim to fix

The South Dakota Department of Education has thrown a counterpunch after school superintendents came out this week against new social studies standards proposed by the Noem administration.

In a two-page letter sent Thursday to the state Board of Education Standards, Education Secretary Joseph Graves characterized the South Dakota School Superintendents Association’s (SDSSA) criticism of the civics-focused education standards as uninformed and irresponsible.

“This was unfortunate both because the standards deserve the support of educators who have traditionally taken their responsibility to the American experiment in self-governance seriously but also because much of the reasoning behind their opposition is materially flawed,” Graves wrote, responding to formal objections to the proposed standards SDSSA sent to the Board of Education Standards earlier in the week.

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