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Board approves new outlying-district bus stops, removes some Boys and Girls Club drop-offs
Summary
After public comment and a detailed review of state law and site safety, the Watertown School District board approved Superintendent Dr. Danielson's recommended open-enrollment bus stops for five outlying districts and declined to continue allowing some buses to drop at the Boys and Girls Club.
The Watertown School District 14-4 board on Tuesday approved a set of agreed-upon outlying-district bus stops that removes several longstanding drop-off privileges at the Boys and Girls Club after a public comment and a lengthy board discussion.
Resident Jackie Jacobson, a parent of a second grader who is open-enrolled to Florence Elementary, told the board the administration’s July letter to neighboring districts—citing South Dakota Codified Law 13-28-45—would prevent buses from dropping students at the Boys and Girls Club starting this fall and could force families to find alternate transportation. “If their buses can no longer drop them off there, their families will have to find alternate ways to get them to the club,” Jacobson said, warning that the change could increase personal-vehicle traffic and harm working families who rely on after-school care.
Superintendent Dr. Danielson responded with background on the district’s interpretation of the open-enrollment statute and the safety considerations that drove the recommendation. Danielson said some outlying districts had been using the high school parking lot and other in-town locations in ways that created sight-line and pedestrian-safety concerns and noted the district does not supervise other districts’ transportation operations. He recommended specific approved stops: Castlewood at the Odyssey 8 theater; Florence at the South Dakota Army National Guard Readiness Center; Hamlin at the Prairie stop on Highway 20; Henry at the Moss Ice Arena only; and suggested Waverly South Shore use Grace Pointe Church instead of the Boys and Girls Club because of proximity and circulation concerns.
Board members cited the statute and agreed the district must set approved sites annually. Several members said they preferred a proactive approach to avoid a safety incident. Board member Rossman expressed appreciation for the superintendent’s background briefing, and the motion to approve the superintendent’s recommended stops passed on a voice vote.
The decision was procedural and limited to setting approved pick-up/drop-off locations under the district’s interpretation of SDCL 13-28-45. Jacobson’s request that the board revert to prior arrangements or negotiate joint agreements with neighboring districts was noted in discussion but the motion approved the administration’s recommendations; no traffic study or formal safety assessment was presented during the meeting.
