Require that a school curriculum include human growth and development within the health curriculum.
Summary
House Bill 1171 would require South Dakota school districts to ensure that health curriculum beginning in grade 3 includes instruction on human biology as it relates to pregnancy and human development inside the womb. The required instruction could be delivered through oral, written, digital, lecture, or presentation formats, but it must include two specific visual components: a high-definition ultrasound video of at least three minutes showing fetal development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs, and a video showing fertilization and the stages of human development in the uterus through birth.
The bill is framed as a curriculum requirement rather than a standalone course mandate, and it would add a new section to state education law governing school district health instruction. If enacted, it would affect local school boards by imposing a statewide minimum content requirement for health education, particularly in elementary grades starting in third grade. It would also likely affect curriculum providers and educators responsible for selecting instructional materials that satisfy the bill’s detailed video requirements.
Impact
HB1171 would amend South Dakota education law by creating a new statutory requirement for school district health curricula beginning in grade 3. It would direct local school boards to include specified instruction on pregnancy and prenatal human development, and it would require the use of particular videos depicting fetal development and fertilization. The practical effect would be to standardize a portion of health education statewide and limit local discretion over the content used to teach human growth and development.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant resistance. On February 10, 2025, it was tabled by a vote of 12 yeas to 3 nays, indicating that a majority of the body or committee members present were not prepared to advance it. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded discussion to show affirmative support or detailed debate, but the tabling vote points to caution or opposition rather than broad enthusiasm.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the bill’s requirement that schools present specific videos about fetal development and fertilization starting in third grade, which may be viewed by some as medically or pedagogically prescriptive and by others as advancing a particular moral or political message. Because the bill mandates exact instructional content rather than general learning objectives, it may raise concerns about local control, age-appropriateness, parental expectations, and the role of public schools in teaching prenatal development. The tabling vote suggests these concerns were substantial enough to prevent the bill from moving forward at that stage.