Boy who challenged South Dakota policy will get to dance

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A 15-year-old South Dakota boy who sued when he was barred from competing on his high school’s dance team will be allowed to dance this fall.

The South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday to allow boys to participate alongside girls in competitive dance events next school year.

The move allows Freddie Linden to join his school’s dance team. Linden is a freshman at Dakota Valley High School in North Sioux City, South Dakota. He and his mother sued the activities association last month when he was barred from joining the girls’ team.

The association’s executive director, Dan Swartos, calls the board’s action “a fair compromise.”

Linden’s attorney, Joshua Thompson of the Pacific Legal Foundation, says the group hopes the policy will be permanently rescinded.