HURON Today begins another new school year for the Huron School District. Students in grades 1-12 will return to the classroom today, Wednesday, August 20, for a regular day of school.
The Huron School District is looking forward to the 2025-2026 school year, said Superintendent Dr. Kraig Steinhoff. We will continue to uphold our vision of respect, pride, and excellence for everyone.
He added, The children will achieve many great milestones this year, thanks to our dedicated and hardworking staff. Go Tigers!
Sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students are to report to homeroom at 8:05 a.m. All ninth-grade students will go to the auditorium at 8:05 a.m. Returning high schoolers will meet in homerooms starting at 8:30 a.m. All high school classes will meet for a short period schedule on the first day of school. School will be dismissed at 3:15 p.m.
Child-Find screenings start today, Wednesday, August 20, and go until Friday, August 22, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. by appointment. Kindergarten classes will begin on Monday, August 25, at 8:15 a.m. McKinley Learning Center students will begin classes on Monday, August 25.
Kindergarten readiness screenings will be conducted today through Friday. Parents will receive appointment notifications before the start of school.
School hours
The school hours for the 2025-2026 school year are as follows:
– McKinley Learning Center – 8:15-11 a.m. and 12:30 – 3:15 p.m.
– Buchanan K-1 Center, Madison 2-3 Center and Washington 4-5 Center classes begin at 8:15 a.m. and dismiss at 3:10 p.m.
– Huron Middle School – Sixth grade will enter the building directly into the sixth-grade house. All students should report directly to their homeroom upon arriving at the building. School begins at 8:05 a.m. Sixth graders will have the opportunity to eat breakfast following daily announcements at 8:07 a.m.
Seventh graders and eighth graders will enter the building through the main entrance.Students will have the opportunity to have breakfast from 7:45 to 8:05 a.m. Classes will begin at 8:05 a.m., and school will be dismissed at 3:25 p.m.
– Huron High School commons is open daily to students beginning at 7 a.m. Regular classes run from 8:05 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Additional fees
Middle school and high school band students using school-owned woodwind, string, brass, and percussion instruments are required to pay a rental fee of $10 per semester or $20 for the school year.
Orchestra students using school-owned instruments are also required to pay a rental fee of $10 per semester or $20 for the school year.
High school dates
Picture Day for all high school students will be Monday, August 25. Students will receive their school ID. ID badges are required for all persons on the high school campus starting Tuesday, August 26.
High school parent/teacher conferences this year are scheduled for Monday, September 22, Tuesday, November 17, Monday, February 2, and Tuesday, April 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the high school commons.
The September and February conferences are virtual. November and April conferences are in-person.
Huron School Board
The board of education encourages public attendance at its meetings. Anyone who wishes to place an item on the agenda should submit the item in writing to the superintendent or the board president at least ten days prior to the meeting date. Emergency items will be considered at the boards discretion. Board meetings are normally conducted on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Instructional Planning Center on the 2nd floor of the Huron Arena.
There is no second board meeting held on the fourth Monday of July or December.
Board of Education members for 2025-2026 are President Tim Van Berkum, Vice President Garret Bischoff, Shelly Siemonsma, Ray Cardona and Levi Kary.
Activity tickets
Adult season passes for school activities are $60. High school and middle school student season passes are $30; elementary student season passes are $25; and a family season pass is $150.
A college student may purchase an adult season pass for $60 or be included in a family pass.
A senior citizen (out-of-district) season pass is $25. If you are 62 or older and live in the Huron School District, you qualify for a complimentary pass issued by the Huron Public Schools. These are lifetime passes and are available in the Superintendents Office at 150 Fifth Street SWHuron Arena (second floor-east side).
Individual tickets may be bought at the door. At the door prices $6 for an adult athletic ticket, $4 for a student grade 1-12 athletic ticket, and $4 for an adult fine arts ticket (student are free).
Information regarding the purchase of a season pass is available from Tarryn Tomczak in the Arena Managers Office, 605-353-6970.
Nutrition program
School lunches and breakfasts are available to all students in kindergarten through grade twelve.Breakfast and lunch will be served on the first day of school.
Money can be deposited for school lunch accounts online though Linq at https://linqconnect.com. On Linq, you can also check account balances and set reminders and notifications for low balances.
Students who applied and qualified for free or reduced meals last year will automatically be eligible when school starts. As a reminder, there is no universal free lunch program this year. Eligible families must submit a free and reduced application to access the benefit. New applications must be completed and returned by October 3 in order to remain on the free or reduced-price meal program. Parents may apply for free or reduced meals at any time. Applications will be processed as quickly as possible. Parents will be notified within 10 days of receiving the application in the School Nutrition Office. You can apply online at https://linqconnect.com.
Any questions about the program should be addressed to Amanda Reilly, School Nutrition Director, at 605-353-6909.
The breakfast program for all students starts today. If you recieve free or reduced price lunch, you are also eligible for a free or reduced price breakfast.
Breakfast prices for elementary, middle, and high school students are $3.10, $3.20, and $3.20, respectively. Student reduced price is $0.30, and adult price is $3.75. Individual lunch prices are $4.10 for elementary students, $4.20 for middle school students, $4.30 for high school students, $0.40 for reduced price, $5.25 for elementary, middle school, and high school adults. Milk tickets are $6 for ten cartons of milk.
School bus reminders for parents and students
For parents, please see that your child is at their bus stop at least five minutes prior to pick up time. Make sure that your K-5 grade student has their ZPass each day, and continue to remind them of the importance and the mandated use of the ZPass. Teach your child to obey the bus driver.
Accompany very young children to the bus stop and meet them on their return. Supervise and train your child on safety practices and proper conduct for riding the bus. Cooperate with the disciplinary measures set up by your school officials and your direct line of communication with your school principal.
The driver is a member of your school system and merits the respect and courtesy due to all school personnel. If your child has a friend coming home with him/her, or if your child will be going to a different address, please send written notification or call the bus garage (605-353-6989) to let the bus driver know that he/she has permission to do so. If we do not have written permission, we will not honor the childs request.
For students, please do not stand in the roadway, crowd, or push to get on or off the bus. Wait for the bus to stop before getting out of your seat. Go immediately to the seat assigned to you and do not change seats while the bus is in motion. Keep all parts of your body inside the bus at all times while on the bus, and dont be a litterbug on the bus or on the road.
Obey your driver promptly and cheerfully and avoid being loud or boisterous. Do not talk to the driver while the bus is moving. Do not damage any equipment and report anything dangerous to the driver.
In case of trouble, remain calm and stay in your seat (unless otherwise told differently). Keep the aisles clear, and be a courteous passenger at all times; be careful and help others. Take care of smaller riders.
Do not open or close windows without permission from the driver. Use the 2 click rule, and do ot throw anything out of the windows. Be absolutely quiet when the bus approaches a railroad crossing. All tobacco products, alcohol, drugs and anything resembling a weapon are forbidden on all school buses.
Obey the school and bus patrol at all times. Learn how to get off the bus quickly when told to do so. The emergency door at the rear of the bus is to be used only when there is a real emergency. After you leave the bus, dont loiter; go straight home. Be extra careful when the weather is bad.
To cross a highway or street, go to the front of the bus and wait for a signal from the driver, look both ways for approaching vehicles, and cross only when it is clear.
In case of inclement weather
The Huron Board of Education has appointed the superintendent, and in his absence, his designee, to determine when school is called off, the start is delayed, or students are sent home early due to inclement weather.
The following steps will be followed: the staff will receive an email, a message will be placed on the superintendents Facebook page Huron #2-2 Supt and on X @HuronSDSchools, all Performance Radio stations will be notified, and usually will broadcast based on the above mweet. Television stations notified include KELO-LAND and Dakota News Now. An announcement will be placed on the Campus Messenger call system.
The ultimate decision as to whether or not an individual student goes to school during inclement weather is the responsibility of the parent. If the parent decides that weather conditions are such that the child should not go to school, a note to the principal will excuse the child for the time missed; however, the absence will still be counted. In the rare event that school is in operation and the buses do not operate in the rural area, the teachers and administrators realize that rural students are absent not by their own choice and that school work and related activities shall be governed by that fact.
Discrimination policy
The Huron School District will not discriminate in any of its policies and programs on the basis of age, race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, marital status, or disability, and will not violate any provisions of applicable federal programs, statutes or regulations (e.g., Title IX, Title I, Rehabilitations Act, Americans with Disabilities [ADA], Section 504).
If anyone feels that he/she is being discriminated against on the basis of sex, they should feel free to contact Linda Pietz, Title IX coordinator, for the Huron School District. The Title IX Coordinator may be contacted in writing in care of the Huron Public Schools/PO Box 949, or by phone at 605-353-6992.
Huron School District 2025-2026 calendar
August
20-22 Kindergarten Screening city-wide Early Childhood Screening, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
21 – McKinley Learning Center Open House 4 to 5:30 p.m.
25 – First Day of School for Kindergarten/Early Childhood
27 – Early Release/State Fair
28-29 No School/State Fair
September
1 – No School/Labor Day Holiday
Snow Days are May 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, and 29.
Monthly release days (2 hours early) are Wednesday, August 27, and Friday, September 26 (homecoming). November 5, December 10, January 14, February 4, March 4, April 15, and May 6. Additional early release is on May 20.
New Certified Staff for 2025-2026
Buchanan K-1 Center
– Kindergarten teacher Amy ODay
– SPED teacher Hallie Roberts and Devn Urban
Madison 2-3 Center
– Second-grade teacher Elizabeth Willemssen
McKinley Learning Center
– SPED teacher Macy Sternhagen
Huron Middle School
– SPED teacher Darren Berg
– ELA teacher Jacob Dashaak
– ELA teacher Dawson Schmidt
– Science teacher Angelica Moore
– Social Studies teacher Madalyn Reifsteck
Huron High School
– ELA teacher Jaden Pearson
– CTE Manufacturing/Weld teacher Jeramie Sopko
– CTE Auto/Diesel tech teacher Jos Starnes
– CTE Law and Public Safety teacher Jill Nihart
Huron Colony
– K-3 teacher Cassie Valer
– Grades 4-8 teacher Rikki Hein
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