South Carolina does not have standalone K-12 social-emotional learning standards. What South Carolina does have is a character education law that requires every school board in the state to develop a policy addressing character education, a comprehensive health education act that mandates instruction in mental and emotional health at every grade level, and a legislatively mandated multi-tiered system of supports framework that explicitly addresses students' social-emotional needs alongside their academic ones.
The SCDE even maintains a dedicated SEL website (sel.ed.sc.gov), signaling that the state recognizes social-emotional learning as a distinct area of instructional focus, even without formally adopted K-12 SEL standards.
For South Carolina elementary educators, the question is not whether social-emotional skills need to be taught. State law answers that. The question is how to deliver instruction that satisfies the character education mandate, covers the mental and emotional health content required by the Comprehensive Health Education Act, and functions as the Tier 1 social-emotional component within the MTSS framework.
South Carolina SEL-Related Policy Timeline
South Carolina has built its character education and social-emotional infrastructure through distinct legislative actions over three decades:
1988
Comprehensive Health Education Act
Mandates mental and emotional health instruction at every K-12 grade level
2001
§59-17-135 Character Education Law
Every school board must develop a character education policy with evaluation
2006
Safe School Climate Act
Requires anti-bullying policies and annual reporting in every district
2018
Act 213 — SCMTSS Mandate
Requires multi-tiered support including social-emotional Tier 1 instruction for all students
How South Carolina's Laws Cover CASEL Competencies
No single South Carolina law covers all five CASEL competencies. But taken together, the state's legislative framework addresses every competency through at least two separate mandates:
Combined, South Carolina's four frameworks provide 95% CASEL competency coverage across K-5
South Carolina's Three Compliance Pillars
Every South Carolina elementary school must satisfy obligations from three independent mandates. A single well-chosen curriculum can address all three simultaneously:
Pillar 1
Character Education
§59-17-135
Board policy required
20+ named traits
Evaluation required
Community input
Pillar 2
Health Education
§59-32-5
Mental health K-12
“M” standards
Grade-level skills
Sequential curriculum
Pillar 3
MTSS Framework
Act 213 (2018)
Whole-child approach
Tier 1 SEL expected
Universal screening
Pyramid Model
One curriculum addressing all three pillars = single-program compliance across all mandates
South Carolina's Character Education Law
Section 59-17-135: Every Board Must Have a Policy
South Carolina's General Assembly has declared that teaching positive character traits is essential to improving the learning environment, promoting student achievement, reducing disciplinary problems, and developing civic-minded students. The law requires each local school board of trustees in the state to develop a policy addressing character education.[1]
This is not a suggestion. Every board must have a character education policy.
Any character education program implemented as a result of that policy must, to the extent possible, incorporate the following character traits:[1]
Respect for authority and respect for others, honesty, self-control, cleanliness, courtesy, good manners, cooperation, citizenship, patriotism, courage, fairness, kindness, self-respect, compassion, diligence, good work ethics, sound educational habits, generosity, punctuality, cheerfulness, patience, sportsmanship, loyalty, and virtue.
Two additional requirements make South Carolina's law more substantive than character education statutes in many other states:
Community involvement. Local school boards must include all sectors of the community, including elected officials, civic leaders, business leaders, religious institutions, youth organizations, government, media, and citizens, in the development of both the policy and any program implemented as a result of it.[1]
Evaluation. As part of any policy and program developed by the local school board, an evaluation component must be included.[1] This means schools are not only expected to implement character education but to assess its effectiveness.
How Character Traits Map to Social-Emotional Skills
| SC Character Trait | Related Skill Area | CASEL Competency |
|---|---|---|
| Self-control | Impulse management, emotional regulation | Self-Management |
| Courage | Risk-taking, speaking up, perseverance | Self-Management |
| Diligence | Effort, follow-through, goal pursuit | Self-Management |
| Patience | Delayed gratification, frustration tolerance | Self-Management |
| Compassion | Empathy, concern for others | Social Awareness |
| Courtesy / Good manners | Awareness of others' feelings, social norms | Social Awareness |
| Kindness | Prosocial behavior, generosity, inclusion | Relationship Skills |
| Cooperation | Teamwork, collaboration | Relationship Skills |
| Good work ethics | Responsibility, accountability | Responsible Decision-Making |
| Honesty | Integrity, trustworthiness | Responsible Decision-Making |
| Fairness | Equitable treatment, justice | Responsible Decision-Making |
| Self-respect | Accurate self-assessment, personal worth | Self-Awareness |
A CASEL-aligned curriculum that teaches both the character trait and the underlying skill addresses the statute's requirements while building the functional capacity students need to practice those traits in daily life.
Teacher Preparation Requirement
South Carolina law also requires that colleges of education include character education in the training of teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators. The State Board of Education has developed performance-based standards in these areas and includes them as criteria for teacher program approval.[2] This means South Carolina has taken the additional step of ensuring that character education is not just a district obligation but part of the professional preparation every educator receives.
The Comprehensive Health Education Act
What the Law Requires
The Comprehensive Health Education Act of 1988 (S.C. Code Ann. §59-32-5) requires that public school health instruction be planned, age-appropriate, and sequential. For grades K-5, instruction in comprehensive health education must include the following subjects:[3]
Community health, consumer health, environmental health, growth and development, nutritional health, personal health, prevention and control of diseases and disorders, safety and accident prevention, substance use and abuse, dental health, and mental and emotional health.
Mental and emotional health is not an optional addition. It is a named, required component of comprehensive health education at every elementary grade level.
Health and Safety Education Curriculum Standards
The SCDE created South Carolina Health and Safety Education Curriculum Standards to ensure schools satisfy the intent of the Comprehensive Health Education Act. These standards organize content into strands, with Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (designated “M” standards) as a core content area across all grade levels.[4]
Kindergarten
Define the term “feelings” (happy, sad, angry). Explain ways to identify trustworthy adults who can help deal with personal feelings.[4]
Grade 1
List ways that family and friends influence mental, emotional, and social health. Describe appropriate ways to express feelings.[4]
Grade 2
Demonstrate ways to manage strong emotions. Describe ways that bullying and teasing can be harmful.[4]
Grade 3
Identify conflict resolution strategies. Practice skills needed to develop and maintain healthy relationships.[4]
Grade 4
Describe the effects of bullying on victims. Demonstrate communication skills that show care, consideration, and respect.[4]
Grade 5
Compare positive and negative ways to respond to conflict. Develop a plan for preventing bullying. Apply decision-making skills to health-related situations.[4]
The health education standards also address the same eight National Health Education Standards used by many other states, including Interpersonal Communication Skills, Decision-Making Skills, Goal-Setting Skills, and Self-Management, all of which are directly social-emotional in content.
South Carolina's MTSS Framework
Act 213 (2018): A Legislative Mandate
Governor Henry McMaster signed Act 213 into law in 2018, providing direction on the implementation of South Carolina's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (SCMTSS) and the use of approved screeners. The law requires Local Education Agencies to use a universal screening process to identify students who may be at risk of experiencing academic or other difficulties and to implement appropriate instruction and evidence-based intervention.[5]
Social-Emotional MTSS
The SCDE's MTSS Framework explicitly states that MTSS addresses the needs of the whole child, academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally, through a holistic and personalized system of learning that incorporates academics and social-emotional behaviors into one framework. The framework recognizes the connection between academic achievement and social-emotional development.[5]
The SCMTSS Framework includes a Social-Emotional MTSS section that uses the Pyramid Model as its structure for organizing social-emotional supports across tiers.[5]
For elementary schools, this means:
Tier 1
Universal social-emotional instruction delivered to all students. This is where character education and SEL curriculum live. A school without a structured Tier 1 social-emotional component has a gap in its MTSS framework.
Tier 2
Targeted intervention for students who need additional support beyond what Tier 1 provides.
Tier 3
Intensive, individualized support for students with the most significant social-emotional and behavioral needs.
A 40-week curriculum that covers all five CASEL competencies functions as the Tier 1 social-emotional instruction that the SCMTSS framework expects and that reduces demand on Tier 2 and Tier 3 services.
School Counseling
Section 59-59-40: Guidance and Counseling Model
South Carolina law requires the Department of Education's guidance and counseling model to provide standards and strategies for school districts to use in developing and implementing a comprehensive guidance and counseling program. The model must support the personal, social, educational, and career development of pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade students.[6] For elementary schools, the personal and social development component of the counseling model overlaps significantly with the character education mandate and the health education standards' mental and emotional health content. Schools that coordinate classroom-based character education with their school counselor's programming create a more coherent experience for students.
Bullying Prevention
The Safe School Climate Act
South Carolina's Safe School Climate Act (§59-63-110 et seq.) requires each school district to adopt a policy that prohibits harassment, intimidation, and bullying. The State Board of Education developed model policies for districts to follow, and the act requires that the policy be incorporated into training programs.[7]
School employees who observe or have direct knowledge of acts of violence must file a report to the school principal. Annually, the district superintendent must report all acts of violence and bullying to the district board of trustees at a public hearing.[7]
The connection to character education and social-emotional instruction is direct: students who have been taught empathy, conflict resolution, self-control, kindness, and communication skills are less likely to engage in bullying behaviors. A curriculum that teaches these skills serves the Safe School Climate Act's prevention goals.
Suicide Prevention
The Jason Flatt Act (2012)
South Carolina passed the Jason Flatt Act in 2012, requiring two hours of training in youth suicide awareness and prevention for credential renewal. Currently, this requirement applies to middle and high school educators. Legislation has been introduced (SB 30, 2025 session) to expand the requirement to all K-12 personnel.[8]
The suicide prevention framework depends on both adult recognition of warning signs and student capacity to manage emotional distress, identify trusted adults, and seek help. Social-emotional instruction that teaches self-awareness, emotional regulation, and communication skills builds the student-side foundation that suicide prevention efforts depend on.
How to Align Your Elementary Program With South Carolina's Requirements
Step 1: Address the Character Education Policy
Your school board is required to have a character education policy with an evaluation component. Document how your instructional program addresses the character traits the statute names. A comprehensive scope and sequence that maps to all listed traits and includes measurable outcomes satisfies both the instructional and evaluation requirements.
Step 2: Cover Health Education Standards
The Comprehensive Health Education Act requires instruction in mental and emotional health at every elementary grade level. Document how your curriculum addresses the “M” (Mental, Emotional, and Social Health) standards at each grade. A CASEL-aligned curriculum that covers self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making addresses every social-emotional strand in the health education standards.
Step 3: Build Your MTSS Tier 1
Act 213 requires your school to have an MTSS framework. The SCMTSS Framework explicitly includes social-emotional learning as part of the whole-child approach. Your character education and SEL curriculum is your Tier 1 social-emotional instruction. Document how it serves that function, how it connects to your screening process, and how students who need additional support are identified and served through Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Step 4: Coordinate With School Counseling
Your school counselor's comprehensive program supports personal and social development. Align classroom-based instruction with the counseling program's standards to prevent duplication and ensure consistent language. A shared scope and sequence makes this coordination practical.
Step 5: Connect to Bullying Prevention
Document how your character education and social-emotional instruction supports the Safe School Climate Act's requirements. A curriculum that teaches empathy, conflict resolution, respect, self-control, and communication skills is an evidence-based approach to preventing the harassment, intimidation, and bullying the law addresses.
Communicating With South Carolina Parents
Reference the Statute
South Carolina law explicitly states that teaching positive character traits is essential to improving the learning environment. When communicating with parents: “South Carolina law requires every school board to have a character education policy. Our program teaches the character traits the statute names, including respect, honesty, self-control, kindness, cooperation, fairness, courage, and perseverance, through structured weekly lessons that build the skills students need to practice those traits.”
Emphasize the Evaluation Component
The statute requires an evaluation component for character education programs. Let parents know that your program includes observable, measurable outcomes: “We do not just talk about character traits. We measure whether students are developing the skills to use them.”
Connect to the Whole Child
South Carolina's MTSS framework uses the language of the “whole child.” Parents respond to the idea that their child's school cares about their development as a complete person, not just their test scores. Frame your program as part of that commitment: “Our school addresses the whole child through instruction that develops both academic skills and the character traits that help students succeed in school and in life.”
Choosing a Curriculum for South Carolina Schools
When selecting character education and social-emotional curriculum for your South Carolina elementary school, verify that the program:
- ✓Addresses the character traits in §59-17-135. The statute lists specific traits. Your curriculum should cover all of them, from respect and honesty to patience, cheerfulness, and virtue.
- ✓Covers health education “M” standards. Mental, emotional, and social health is a required content area within the Comprehensive Health Education Act. Your curriculum should address it at every elementary grade level.
- ✓Functions as a Tier 1 MTSS component. The SCMTSS Framework expects universal social-emotional instruction. Your curriculum should serve that role, with documentation connecting lessons to the screening and intervention processes.
- ✓Provides grade-band differentiation. The health education standards build in complexity across grades. Programs that provide distinct content for upper elementary match this developmental progression.
- ✓Offers a full-year scope and sequence. Character development and social-emotional growth require sustained instruction. A program that provides 40 weeks of sequenced instruction ensures consistent coverage across the school year.
- ✓Includes an evaluation component. The statute requires it. Your curriculum should produce observable, documentable outcomes that demonstrate whether character education instruction is working.
- ✓Supports evidence-based bullying prevention. The Safe School Climate Act requires districts to prevent harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Your curriculum should teach the skills that prevent those behaviors.
- ✓Requires no devices or student accounts. Device-free, teacher-led programs eliminate data privacy concerns and preserve the shared classroom experience that character education benefits from.
- ✓Supports bilingual learners. South Carolina's growing multilingual student population benefits from curriculum available in English and Spanish.
- ✓Requires minimal prep. South Carolina teachers already navigate extensive testing and documentation requirements. Programs that provide ready-to-use weekly lessons are more likely to be implemented consistently.
What to Avoid
Treating the policy requirement as a box to check
The statute requires every school board to have a character education policy, but a policy without a program is a document without an effect. Schools that adopt a policy and then deliver character education through informal assemblies, occasional poster campaigns, or inconsistent morning announcements are meeting the letter of the law without building the skills students need. Structured, sequenced instruction produces measurably better outcomes than incidental exposure.[9]
Ignoring the evaluation requirement
The statute requires an evaluation component for every character education program. Schools that implement character education without measuring its outcomes cannot demonstrate compliance with this provision. A curriculum that produces observable data, whether through behavioral indicators, climate surveys, or documented skill development, satisfies this requirement.
Running MTSS without a Tier 1 social-emotional component
Act 213 mandates MTSS. The SCMTSS Framework explicitly addresses social-emotional development as part of the whole-child approach. A school that implements academic screening and intervention tiers without a corresponding social-emotional Tier 1 has an incomplete MTSS framework. A character education and SEL curriculum fills that gap.
Separating character education from skill building
South Carolina names character traits like self-control, cooperation, and courage. A student who can define “self-control” and a student who can actually regulate their emotional response when frustrated are two different students. Character education that teaches vocabulary without building the underlying emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills produces recognition without behavior change.
Final Thoughts
South Carolina requires every school board to have a character education policy. The Comprehensive Health Education Act mandates instruction in mental and emotional health at every elementary grade level. Act 213 requires MTSS implementation that explicitly includes social-emotional development. The Safe School Climate Act requires bullying prevention. And the school counseling model must support personal and social development for every student from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
No single document is titled “South Carolina SEL Standards.” But the combined effect of these laws and frameworks creates a clear set of expectations: schools must teach character traits, must address mental and emotional health, must support students' social-emotional development within an MTSS framework, and must evaluate whether the programs they implement are working.
For South Carolina elementary schools, the path forward is practical: choose a program that covers the character traits the statute names, addresses the health education standards' mental and emotional health content, functions as a Tier 1 MTSS component, includes an evaluation mechanism, and teaches both the trait and the skill in language that every South Carolina parent and administrator can support. The requirements are in place. The framework exists. The students need the skills. Start there.
References
- South Carolina Code of Laws, §59-17-135. Character education. https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/title-59/chapter-17/section-59-17-135/
- South Carolina Code of Laws, §59-59-45. Training of teachers and guidance counselors; review of performance. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t59c059.php
- South Carolina Code of Laws, §59-32-30. Comprehensive Health Education Act. https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/school-district-memoranda-archive/comprehensive-health-education-compliance-checklist/comprehensive-health-education-compliance-checklist-memo/
- South Carolina Department of Education. South Carolina Grade Level Health and Safety Education Curriculum Guidelines. https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3949/Ccsd/d75a232d-d2f3-4e94-a2d4-e1ce6ab21ca3/South_Carolina_Grade_Level_Health_and_Safety_E.pdf
- South Carolina Department of Education. SCMTSS Framework and Guidance Document. Act 213 (2018). https://www.ed.sc.gov/sites/scdoe/assets/File/instruction/early-learning-literacy/SCMTSS%20Framework%20FINAL.pdf
- South Carolina Code of Laws, §59-59-40. Guidance and counseling model. https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/title-59/chapter-59/section-59-59-40/
- South Carolina Code of Laws, §59-63-110 et seq. Safe School Climate Act. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess116_2005-2006/bills/3573.htm
- South Carolina Legislature. (2025). SB 30. Jason Flatt Act Update. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/30.htm
- Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
- Cipriano, C., Strambler, M. J., Naples, L. H., et al. (2023). The state of evidence for social and emotional learning: A contemporary meta-analysis of universal school-based SEL interventions. Child Development, 94(5), 1181-1204. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13968
Character Education for South Carolina Schools
Be The Buffalo combines the character traits South Carolina law requires with the skills that make them actionable. 40 weeks of K-5 curriculum covering respect, honesty, self-control, kindness, cooperation, courage, fairness, compassion, perseverance, and more.
Interactive projector activities, original songs, stories, printable worksheets, and teacher guides. Bilingual English and Spanish. No student accounts. No devices. No prep. Built to function as your Tier 1 social-emotional instruction within MTSS.
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