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Watertown School Board to Revisit Out-of-District Student Drop-Off Sites After Boys & Girls Club Change

Smiling children lean from yellow school bus windows, giving thumbs up; NE Northeast Radio SD logo at top right.

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown School Board will revisit transportation arrangements for out‑of‑district students tonight, following weeks of questions from parents after the district informed neighboring schools they could no longer use the Boys & Girls Club as an after‑school drop‑off site.


The agenda includes an executive summary prepared by Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielsen outlining newly proposed pickup and drop‑off locations for Castlewood, Florence, Hamlin, Henry, and Waverly–South Shore. The item comes less than a month after Florence parent Jackie Jacobson publicly urged the board to explain why long‑standing transportation arrangements were changed. A decision that was not made or initiated by the Boys and Girls Club of Watertown.

District cites increased traffic near WHS and Boys & Girls Club

According to the executive summary prepared for tonight’s meeting, the district says traffic has increased around Watertown High School and the Boys & Girls Club since the opening of the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex in fall 2025. Because of that increase, Superintendent Jeff Danielsen notified area districts that the Boys & Girls Club would no longer be available as a pickup or drop‑off point for the 2026–27 school year.


Three districts — Castlewood, Henry, and Florence — already had approved alternate locations. A fourth, Waverly–South Shore, was asked to select a new site. Watertown suggested Gracepoint Church, located approximately 0.4 miles from the Boys & Girls Club.


Hamlin is requesting a pickup point for the first time this year.

Parent concerns raised in July meeting

At the July 13 board meeting, Jacobson said the change created confusion and safety concerns for families whose children attend the Boys & Girls Club after school. She questioned whether the board had formally discussed the issue, noting she could not find any reference to the decision in past minutes.


Jacobson also asked whether the district conducted any traffic or safety assessments and whether Boys & Girls Club leadership was consulted before the change. She urged the board to reconsider the decision and maintain cooperative agreements with Florence, Waverly, Henry, and other districts.


Tonight’s recommended pickup/drop‑off locations

The administration is recommending the board approve the following sites for the 2026–27 school year:


·         Castlewood – Odyssey 8 Movie Theater

·         Florence – South Dakota Army National Guard Readiness Center

·         Hamlin – Prairie Stop

·         Henry – Maas Ice Arena

·         Waverly–South Shore – Gracepoint Church


The executive summary notes that SDCL 13‑28‑45 requires mutually agreed‑upon pickup points when one district transports students within another district’s boundaries.

The board is expected to discuss and vote on the recommendations during tonight’s meeting.


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