Four rural S.D. schools let students run the show

Something will be missing from high school biology, physics and physical science classes this fall in Bonesteel: the science teacher.

The high school had been borrowing two science teachers from nearby Burke, but that agreement ended this summer when a consolidation plan fell apart. When the search for a replacement yielded two underqualified candidates, South Central Superintendent Tim Rhead decided to work with what he's got.

The science classes will be led next year by a high school English teacher; a middle school math, science and computers teacher; and a middle school paraprofessional who used to be a veterinary technician.