Lawmakers move to let South Dakota students drop out at younger age

South Dakota lawmakers voted in favor of allowing 16-year-old students to drop out of school.

The House Education Committee spent nearly an hour debating HB 1232, which would lower the compulsory attendance age from 18 to 16. The measure passed on an 8-6 vote and moves now to the House floor.

Advocates of the proposal said the current law puts an undue burden on schools to keep track of kids who don't want to be in class, while opponents argue the bill could be seen as the state giving up on certain students. 

South Dakota previously had a compulsory attendance age of 16. That changed in 2009 when the Legislature raised it to 18. 

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Bill sponsor Rep. Lana Greenfield, R-Doland, argued that it's time to move the age back to 16. She said keeping track of truant students takes attention away from the kids who are in school to learn. 

"We continue to tie the hands of the schools by making mandates," Greenfield said. 

Ben Jones, the state's interim secretary of education, said changes to high school graduation requirements, including the option for students to earn an "endoresement" for taking career-focused classes, are intended to keep more students engaged. Jones said given time, students may be more attracted to stay in school because of those endorsements. 

"The Department of Education feels that (HB 1232) sends the wrong message to a lot of young people and families," Jones said. "This would be a sign ... that they might be given up on." 

Before passing the proposal, the committee discussed options to leave the attendance age up to local school districts. They also discussed the affect 2015 juvenile justice reform had on limiting the options available to discipline students who skip school and the need for a comprehensive solution to both juvenile justice reform and compulsory attendance.

The proposal now moves to the House floor, where it must pass this week in order to see a chance at getting to Gov. Kristi Noem's desk.