
Mitchell Tech hazing policy set for review by Mitchell school board
Jun. 8—MITCHELL — The Mitchell Board of Education will get a look at a proposed Mitchell Technical College policy meant to address hazing at the school.
The board will review the policy at its next regular meeting on Monday, June 9. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Room 10 at the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy.
According to the agenda notes for the meeting, Mitchell Technical College Policy 120 would help bring the school into compliance with national law. The new policy will address requirements of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, and it must be adopted by the board by June 23 for the school to remain in compliance.
"The Stop Campus Hazing Act...was signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 23, 2024 and mandates that institutions of higher education participating in federal student aid must report hazing incidents in their Annual Security Reports, implement hazing policies and publish information related to hazing incidents in a Campus Hazing Transparency Report," Joe Childs, superintendent for the Mitchell School District, wrote in his agenda notes on the subject.
The policy will undergo a first reading at the June 9 meeting. It must gain approval over two readings to become official policy.
The full text of the proposed policy can be found in the agenda for the June 9 meeting.
Also at the meeting, the board is expected to consider the following personnel items:
* The new certified hire of Sydney Pike, 2nd grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $53,260, effective 2025-26 school year.
* The new classified hires of Rachela Dirksen, Title VI tutor, ISS monitor, $19 per hour, 8 hours daily, effective Aug. 13 and Abigail Guenthner, begindergarten teaching assistant at L.B. Williams Elementary, $19 per hour, 7.75 hours daily, effective Aug. 13.
* The new Mitchell Technical College summer adjunct hires of Annika Russel-Manke, ACCT 221 Quickbooks, 3 credits, $2,700; Annika Russell-Manke, BUS 122 E-Commerce, 3 credits, $2,700; Ashley Alarcon, RAD 156 Intro to CT, 2 credits, $1,800; Julie Gross, ENGL 110 Workplace Communications, 3 credits, $2,700; Crystal Freund, SOC 150 Social Problems, 3 credits, $2,700; Crystal Freund, SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech, 3 credits, $2,700; Nathaniel Raak, MATH 103 Mathematical Reasoning, 3 credits, $2,700; Ryan Van Zee, BUS 170 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 3 credits, $2,700; Shirlyce Weisser, MOP 212 Elecronic Medical Records, 3 credits, $2,700 and Shirlyce Weisser, MOP 230 Medical Office Administration, 3 credits, $2,700. All adjunct hires are effective for the 2025 summer semester.
* The new Mitchell Technical College Summer Internships of Jim Mahoney, BC 290 Commercial Internship, 6 credits, $5,000 (20 students); Tim Goldammer, CA 290 Internship, 6 credits, $3,250 (13 students); Noah Munsen, DPT 290 Internship, 6 credits, $5,500 (22 students); Wade Brozik, HV 290 Internship, 6 credits, $3,000 (12 students); Chris Degen, OPRV 190 Internship, 6 credits, $1,750 (7 students); Lynn Smith, ML 234 Practical Clinical Chemistry, 6 credits, (2 students) and Michael Benjamin, WBT 290 Internship, 6 credits, $500 (2 students). All are effective for the 2025 summer semester.
The board is also expected to consider the following agenda items at the June 9 meeting:
* Consideration to hold a public hearing on a waiver to allow high school credit for Algebra I and Spanish I and to approve both waivers.
* Consideration to approve a resolution to declare elected members of the school board.
* Consideration to approve the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors.
* Review of the 2025-26 K-12 budget.
* Hear board member reports.
* Hear the superintendent report.
* Hear public commentary.
The meeting is open to the public. The Mitchell Republic will livestream the meeting on its website.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Chicago mayor says Trump's America looks like Confederacy won, suggests ICE are 'terrorists'
All times eastern FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Trump attends bill signing ceremony at the White House


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
L.A. Immigration Crackdown Sparks Concerns About Possible Martial Law
TOPSHOT - Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard members standing ... More guard outside the Federal Building as they protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025. US President Donald Trump on June 9 ordered active-duty Marines into Los Angeles, vowing those protesting immigration arrests would be "hit harder" than ever. Protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, broke out on June 6, triggered by immigration raids that resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP) (Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images) In recent weeks, the Los Angeles immigration crackdown has become the epicentre of a dangerous national experiment—one in which immigration enforcement is serving as the pretext for something far more ominous: a steady descent into possible martial law. The deployment of U.S. military forces into California without the governor's consent, the violent sweep of immigration raids, and the weaponization of emergency powers all signal that the constitutional order is under siege. President Donald Trump's decision to send 4,000 National Guard troops and Marines into California was met with outrage from state leaders and legal experts alike. California Governor Gavin Newsom has called the action 'an illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional act,' and the state has filed suit against the federal government, citing violations of the U.S. Federal Code, which prohibit federalizing state militias except in cases of invasion, rebellion, or when a state cannot enforce its own laws. None of those conditions apply in this case. Yet the justification offered by the administration—that Los Angeles was on the brink of collapse due to immigrant protests—is as false and inflammatory as was demonstrated on a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel, which showed footage of quiet Los Angeles streets. Following a series of ICE raids that detained over 100 people, protests erupted across the city. While the Los Angeles Police Department stated that the demonstrations were largely peaceful, federal officials framed them as acts of rebellion. In televised comments, President Trump, without evidence, declared that Los Angeles would have been 'completely obliterated' without military intervention. However, some legal scholars point out that such claims are disturbingly reminiscent of how autocrats have historically manufactured crises to seize power. For instance, in comments made recently by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, he warned, 'Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns claim to be against the system, the system is under threat.' These warning signs are increasing. Earlier this year, President Trump re-declared a national emergency at the southern border, significantly intensifying deportation efforts, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions. His Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, asserts that these efforts are crucial to national security. However, critics contend that the raids are politically motivated, intended to incite chaos and test the boundaries of presidential authority. This is not mere conjecture. There have been calls to arrest Governor Newsom for defying the troop deployment—an idea that would equate to criminalizing political opposition. The implications are chilling. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Republicans are racing to pass what Trump has dubbed his 'big, beautiful bill,' a sprawling legislative package that, among other things, includes over $46 billion for the border wall and ICE funding. The administration is leveraging the unrest in Los Angeles to push hesitant GOP senators to fall in line. The proposed bill also imposes a $1,000 asylum application fee—an unprecedented barrier to legal refuge—and earmarks billions more for new Border Patrol and customs agents. These aren't merely policy choices; they are tools of exclusion and intimidation. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a leading voice for the legislation, is actively urging his colleagues to use the Los Angeles protests as proof of why ICE and the border crackdown require even more support. Beyond Capitol Hill, the cultural symbolism of this shift is equally revealing. Trump has announced a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., timed to coincide with the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary—and his own birthday. With tanks, howitzers, and cruise missile launchers on display, the spectacle is designed to evoke strength. But it also mirrors the authoritarian aesthetics of regimes like Russia and North Korea. The question is, where is this all heading? During his first term, Trump was dissuaded from invoking the Insurrection Act during the George Floyd protests only after senior military officials objected. This time, with loyalists appointed to key positions, those checks seem to be absent. Historically, there exists a dangerous precedent for all this. In 1933, Adolf Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to suspend civil liberties and consolidate power. Legal analysts are increasingly drawing comparisons between that moment and today's ongoing use of emergency powers in the name of immigration control. 'If you saw all this in any other country — soldiers sent to crush dissent, union leaders arrested, opposition politicians threatened — it would be clear that autocracy had arrived,' said constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe. Even tech magnates are playing a role. Elon Musk, who now owns X (formerly Twitter), has eliminated most content moderation, amplifying polarizing rhetoric and misinformation. His platform has become a megaphone for conspiracy theories that portray immigrants as invaders and critics as traitors. Beneath all these disturbing developments in the crackdown on immigrants lies a core question: Is the United States still a democracy governed by civilian law, or is it becoming a militarized state ruled by executive whim? The courts may still provide a line of defense. California's lawsuit regarding the unauthorized deployment of federal troops will test the judiciary's willingness to uphold the Constitution. However, history teaches us that legal battles alone cannot protect democracy when institutions are co-opted or eroded. What is unfolding is more than a dispute over immigration policy; it is a stress test of America's democratic fabric. The use of immigration raids to justify military actions, the demonization of peaceful protests, and the consolidation of emergency powers—these are not isolated events. They form a pattern. While Americans seem divided on the issue of military use in the Los Angeles immigration crackdown, with half in favour and the other half, particularly Californians, opposed, June 14th, 2025, the 'No Kings National Day of Action,' promises to be a pivotal day for America as immigration protests, which have spread to other cities, will likely reach their peak on that day. While this unfolds, Trump will head to Canada to attend the G-7 meeting while keeping a watchful eye on events back home. Meanwhile, the fate of the Republic may hinge not on whether Trump builds a wall, but on whether Americans permit him to dismantle the walls of constitutional restraint in the name of constructing it.


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Governor Wes Moore to announce initiative to lower energy costs in Maryland
Amid rising energy costs, Maryland Governor Wes Moore plans to announce a new initiative to lower energy costs Thursday morning. On Jan. 1, Baltimore Gas and Electric raised rates, increasing the average residential gas bill by 9% and the electric bill by 7%. The cost of energy in Maryland continued to rise BGE customers and state leaders publicly challenged the increases, which were a part of the company's planned multi-year utility rate hikes. In February, the Baltimore City Council called on state regulators to stop the increases, which totaled $602 million over the course of three years. BGE said the increase was necessary to cover the cost of continued investments in gas and electric distribution systems. In March, City Council President Zeke Cohen led a community walk, going door to door to collect signatures on a petition that asked the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to stop the hikes. Some customers experienced price hikes larger than the stated increase rates, with some residents reporting that their winter bills climbed by more than $200. In response to the hikes, lawmakers passed a bill, the Next Generation Energy Act, which aims to reduce costs by directing the Public Service Commission to reject multi-year rate hikes that don't demonstrate customer benefit, and prohibiting utilities from charging ratepayers for certain expenses like trade association memberships and private planes. Why have energy costs increased? BGE said those additional increases seen by consumers were a result of an increase in the price of natural gas and increased gas usage. Then again on June 1, BGE's electricity cost to consumers rose by $16 monthly, which the company said was due to an unexpected spike in capacity auction prices and the Talen Energy reliability-must-run (RMR) fee. When BGE announced the increase, the Maryland General Assembly wrote a letter urging federal legislators to stop the increase. They blamed PJM Interconnection, the region's power grid operator, for miscalculating the supply and demand for electricity during the capacity market auction, a competitive bidding process where power companies promise to make their electricity generation available in the future.