Watertown School Board Reviews Student Cell Phone Privacy, Digital Search Policies
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown School Board held a first reading of six K-12 student policies at its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. While five policy reviews reflected standard administrative maintenance, updates to Policy JIH directly address digital device searches and student cell phone privacy expectations.
Digital Searches and Cell Phone Privacy Rules
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielsen outlined proposed revisions to Policy JIH (Interrogations and Searches), noting that the district's legacy policy focused primarily on physical items such as lockers, backpacks, and personal effects. The updated language explicitly integrates digital devices and electronic communications managed through district systems.
During board discussions, Danielsen addressed a specific inquiry from Board Member Roshal Rossman about whether the search policy should explicitly address personal text messages.
"I know, Roshal, you had asked me about text messaging and I would still recommend not adding text messaging because, for example, student phones are still their personal cell phone," Danielsen explained. "And so there would probably have to be law enforcement involvement to get at certain things on those."
Danielsen noted that the policy revisions tie directly to the district’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which all staff and students sign. Under the AUP, users have no expectation of privacy when using district-owned hardware or network infrastructure.
Review of Open Enrollment, Foreign Exchange, and Homeschool Transfers
The board also reviewed five additional policies presented for first reading without recommended structural changes:
· Policy JFAB (Nonresident Student Open Enrollment): Reviewed with no changes recommended. The policy maintains standard guidelines governing transfer deadlines and program capacity limits.
· Policy JFABA (Tuition): Kept intact as a legal safeguard. Danielsen noted that while open enrollment has largely superseded traditional tuition-in arrangements, retaining the policy ensures administrative coverage if non-enrolled nonresidents attend district schools.
· Policy JFABB (Admission of Exchange and Foreign Students): Re-examined as a routine review. Specific enrollment caps for international students remain codified in the Watertown High School student handbook rather than the broad board policy.
· Policy JG (Assignment of Students from Non-accredited Schools): Re-reviewed to guide grade-level and course credit placements for students entering the district from alternative instruction or homeschooling environments.
· Policy JHB (Truancy): Re-examined without changes to maintain standard enforcement and legal referral protocols for unexcused student absences.
The board will return all six policies for final consideration and formal adoption at the November meeting.
