Sioux Falls School Board president defends history instruction

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — The president of the Sioux Falls School Board appeared to criticize Gov. Kristi Noem on Twitter after Noem’s State of the State address Tuesday.

In her annual speech to lawmakers, Noem said the state needs to “do a better job educating teachers” on the subjects of America’s founding and history. She said the “key objective” of history and civics classes should be “explaining why the United States of America is the most special nation in the history of the world.”

Cynthia Mickelson tweeted Tuesday night, “Anyone who is worried about history/civics instruction should 1st visit @SFSchools and 2nd take the 8th grade semester tests and see how they score against our students. Then we can talk.”

“Our team and all educators have been put through the wringer and to now pile on them and say they are indoctrinating their students and not doing a good job is inexcusable,” added Mickelson, who won reelection in April 2020.

Noem’s remarks fall into a larger trend among conservatives of reexamining how American history is taught. Read the full text of Noem’s address here.