Watertown School Board Reviews Eight Policies, Including Weather Practice and Student Fund Updates

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielsen presented eight K-12 school district policies for their first reading during the Watertown School District 14-4 School Board meeting on Monday night, Nov. 9, introducing two newly drafted policies alongside targeted updates to inclement weather practice approvals and student custodial accounts.

Because Monday night marked the first reading under Agenda Item 5.5, no formal vote was taken, and all eight policies will return to the board for a second reading and final action in December.

Inclement Weather Practice Authority Shifted to Superintendent

Under Policy JJ (Extracurricular Activities/Practices – Inclement Weather), Danielsen proposed striking language that allowed high school practices on early-dismissal weather days with permission from "the high school principal or the athletic director," replacing it with the superintendent. Under the policy, no high school practice or meeting held on an early-dismissal weather day is mandatory for students, while all middle school and elementary school practices are automatically canceled.

While presenting the draft to the board on Monday night, Danielsen noted he will add two words—"or designee"—ahead of next month's second reading.

"I struck the part about high school practices during inclement weather with the permission of the high school principal or athletic director and put superintendent," Danielsen told the board. "And as I'm saying that, I realize I should probably add 'or designee.' That's what our language typically is when it's a superintendent, because at times if it's not me directly, that would also then cover the high school principal or the AD. But that kind of puts the onus on me on those inclement weather days since it's me making the call anyways. So I would add 'or designee' for the second reading."

New Policies: Title I Comparability and School-Community Relations

Two brand-new policies were introduced into the district handbook during Monday's review:

·        Policy IHBE (Title I Comparability of Services): Drafted in accordance with Section 1118(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act), this new policy formalizes the district's annual Title I comparability reporting. It mandates a consistent district-wide teacher salary schedule, comparable state- and locally funded student-to-staff ratios, and equitable distribution of curriculum materials and instructional supplies across all schools so federal Title I, Part A dollars supplement rather than replace local funding.

·        Policy KB (School and Community Relations) and Policy KBA (Relations with Parents): Danielsen explained that while researching comparison policies for the district's existing parent relations policy (KBA), he found model language for a broader school-and-community relations policy (KB). Rather than eliminating KBA, Danielsen recommended keeping the existing parent relations policy—which outlines parent-teacher conferences, open houses, and shared home-school responsibilities—and adopting Policy KB alongside it. Policy KB establishes six core public engagement objectives for communicating with parents, township officials, local business and industry, community organizations, and students, recognizing students as both a public entitled to be heard and "ambassadors" from the school system to the community.

"Rather than replace the parents one, we didn't want the parents one to go away, but we felt there was probably a different spelling out of the school-community relations," Danielsen said. "It's a little bit of a feel-good policy versus like a strict, hard-fast 'here's what's going to happen if,' but it's a message sent that we want to work with the community and how we would intend to do that."

Student Custodial Funds and Policy Reviews

The remaining policies presented on first reading include:

·        Policy JJF (Student Activities Custodial Fund): Formerly titled "Student Activities Fund," this policy was substantially rewritten to replace outdated "Trust and Agency" and paper receipt-book terminology with modern custodial fund accounting procedures. Under the revised policy, the Business Office oversees all custodial funds held on behalf of student clubs, classes, and organizations, ensuring funds are not commingled with district operating dollars, expenditures strictly benefit the student organization for which money was raised, and monthly financial reports are provided to each club and the school board.

·        Policies JII-A (Student Grievance Form) and JII (Student Grievance Policy): Reviewed with no recommended changes, maintaining the district's three-step grievance procedure (Level 1: Principal or Director; Level 2: Superintendent; Level 3: School Board) with five-school-day conference timelines for complaints alleging discriminatory rules or unfair disciplinary procedures.

Policy JJE (Student Fundraising Activities): Reviewed without substantive changes, maintaining requirements that student fundraising remain voluntary, complement rather than replace public instructional funds, involve building principal consultation, and receive prior school board approval for any door-to-door fundraising via an annual August list.