South Dakota schools have a new policy regarding transgender students who want to participate in extracurricular activities.
The South Dakota High School Activities Association board adopted language Wednesday to establish protocol for approving participation requests.
James Weaver is the assistant executive director of the South Dakota High School Activities Association. He says the organization wants a policy in place so students avoid unnecessary hassle.
"We have transgendered students in our schools now, and it’s only a matter of time until we start having requests for a transgender student to participate in the activities of which they identify, so we thought it best to be pro-active instead of reactive in this situation," Weaver says.
Weaver says the policy is similar to the one the South Dakota High School Activities Association released earlier this year. He says the approved version has additional due process and appeal opportunities, which end with a decision from the board of directors.