New school start times will affect CMS students in high school sports

Central Middle School (CMS) students who participate on high school sports teams this fall and the rest of the school year likely will be late for practices and need to leave school early to go to games thanks to the change in school hours this year.

Leaving school early to attend practices or games will be left to the 30 to 40 CMS students who participate in high school sports, their parents and their teachers to figure out, according to Brett Johnson, senior director of community relations and communications.

Otherwise, Johnson doesn’t expect a lot to change for CMS students who play on high school teams.

“Students might arrive late at practices,” he said. “’They would be getting out of school to attend games and make up any work outside of the school day. There is no change to that process. It’s what middle school students who choose to play on high school teams have always experienced.”

Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) team practices will continue to take place right after school, according to EPHS Associate Principal of Student Activities Russ Reetz.

This year, EPHS classes end at 3:20 p.m. followed by CMS 47 minutes later at 4:07 p.m.

“Our district Admin team is committed to working with families of middle school athletes who make high school teams in regards to their daily class schedule,” Reetz said in an email to EPLN. “Our high school programs plan to practice after school at EPHS which will now end at 3:20.”

Boys’ and girls’ hockey and swim and dive teams, all of which practice at Eden Prairie Community Center, may choose to schedule some morning practices, he said.

Activity buses will continue to ferry CMS students to the high school for practices, or to off-site locations such as Miller Park, Johnson said. “The activity buses will get the kids to where they need to be,” he said.

“Eden Prairie’s schedule is now more consistent with the rest of the conference,” Reetz said.

Game times also will remain mostly the same, Reetz said.

“We haven’t changed our start times for games,” he said. “Some start times have been affected by the officials shortage.”

Football games for 9A and 10A levels have been changed to double headers on the same day at the same site, Reetz said.

School begins Sept. 8. Practices for fall sports began Aug. 16. Those sports include cross country, girls’ tennis, girls’ swim and dive, football, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and volleyball.