GETTYSBURG, S.D. – In Potter County South Dakota the Gettysburg School District has instituted device-free school days for the coming school year to eliminate distractions.  The school district is aiming to foster better mental and social-emotional health for students.

According to the district, all students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be device-free throughout the school day.

In grades 6-12 smartphones will be locked and smartwatches and Bluetooth earbuds will be placed into packets that lock with a magnet. The school district says that students can unlock them if they leave for open lunch or as they leave campus at the end of each day. Teachers and administrators can unlock the pouches as needed for classroom use.

Elementary students will turn off devices and store them in their classroom or backpack for the day.

The district shared the announcement on social media on Sunday, explaining that the policy’s goal is to eliminate distractions and provide the best learning environment for students.

The district said there will be allowances for special circumstances and emergencies.  An example would be a child with a medical reason to access their device, such as a student who uses a glucose monitor, there are specific Velcro pouches for this purpose.

Parents who are concerned about contacting their children throughout the day are instructed to call the school office, and messages will be passed on to students as needed.

As for emergencies, the district states that it has protocols in place and staff is trained for a variety of crisis situations.

Those students who violate the no-device policy will lose open campus privileges and follow the discipline outlined in the 2024-25 student handbook.

The Gettysburg School District will share more information during registration in August.

 

 

HURON, S.D. (Dakota Scout / News Staff) – There will be a new requirement specifically for dairy cows during the South Dakota State Fair that starts next month.

Exhibitors must test all lactating cows for H5N! avian influenza within seven days before they’re brought onto the State Fairgrounds in Huron.

State Fair manager Peggy Besch said she’s been working with the South Dakota Animal Industry Board.

Cows in five dairy herds in South Dakota have tested positive for the highly contagious virus in recent months. Avian influenza virus type A (H5N1) has been confirmed in dairy cattle in 13 states: 42 herds in Colorado, 29 in Idaho, 26 in Michigan, 22 in Texas, 13 in Iowa, eight each in New Mexico and Minnesota, five in South Dakota, four in Kansas, two in Oklahoma, and one each in North Carolina, Ohio, and Wyoming.

The 2024 State Fair opens on Wednesday, August 29, and wraps up on Monday, September 2, which is Labor Day.

Besch said she recently met with staff for the South Dakota Animal Industry Board staff and dairy exhibit superintendents.

“Just so we’re all on the same path,” she told South Dakota State Fair Commission members. “I don’t think that anybody is going to be really surprised because lots of other states are implementing this as well.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture already requires testing of dairy cows for avian flu when they are moved between states.

Poultry testing for avian flu however hasn’t been discussed, she said.

“That’s very good we have the Animal Industry Board,” State Fair Commission Chair Faron Wahl of Sioux Falls said. “That’s why they’re there.”

 

 

STURGIS, S.D. – Sturgis Police and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people Saturday for animal neglect.

Sturgis Police Chief Geody Vandewater says they received a report of dogs being neglected on Friday. Officers responded to the scene, where a rental truck was parked in a vacant lot across the Common Cents store just off I-90’s Exit 32.

Officers addressed the neglect with the owners.

However, on Saturday, another complaint was received and the dogs were found in distress and the owners didn’t have any food for water for the six dogs. Furthermore, Vandewater says all the dogs were also being kept in kennels in the back of the rental truck.

Due to the dogs’ condition, officers placed the owners under arrest for animal neglect. Their names have not yet been released.

The Meade County/Sturgis Animal Shelter confiscated the dogs and they are now under their care.

The rental truck was subsequently towed.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol also responded to the scene.

 

 

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined other Attorneys General in opposing a Biden Administration proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

He’s one of 11 Attorneys General to submit a public letter opposing the proposal. If approved, the classification would be a step towards fully legalizing marijuana at the federal level.

“South Dakota voters have legalized medical marijuana and will have the opportunity this election to determine whether to legalize recreational marijuana in our state,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The Biden Administration’s attempt to reschedule marijuana right before the election without proper authority will be harmful to states like South Dakota that have not fully legalized both medical and recreational marijuana.”

Attorney General Jackley said if the reclassification occurs, it will not impact the way local authorities enforce the state law.

Other Attorneys General who are part of the public comment letter are: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, and South Carolina.

 

 

DES MOINES, IA – Iowa’s new abortion law is set to take effect after the Iowa Supreme Court officially denied Planned Parenthood’s application to rehear that case.

The law will ban abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which is typically around 6-weeks into a pregnancy. The law does allow for some exceptions – Rape if it’s reported within 45 days, Incest if it’s reported within 140 days, and Medical Emergencies if the pregnant woman’s life is in danger.

Under the law, doctors are required to let the pregnant woman know in writing whether they detected activity and whether abortion in their case is prohibited. Then, the pregnant woman must sign off, acknowledging they have received that information.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the law in July 2023, but a judge blocked the ban. The law was on hold for nearly a year until the Iowa Supreme Court ruled 4-3 last month to let it take effect.

Planned Parenthood had asked the Iowa Supreme Court to rehear the case, but with the court declining, it will now be sent to a district court judge who will decide when to officially lift the injunction on the law.