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Parent urges district to change middle‑school girls soccer scheduling after low turnout and lopsided matches
Summary
A Franklin Middle School parent told the school board that low participation at some schools is forcing teams to combine and then face opponents with large rosters, creating demoralizing contests; he suggested districtwide pooling or centralized teams for next season.
A parent told the Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Education that low middle‑school girls soccer participation at some schools has produced demoralizing games and urged the district to consider pooling players or centralizing teams.
Jacob Ert, a parent of a Franklin Middle School student, said Franklin had three girls try out for the girls’ soccer team this season; the school combined with another to reach an 11‑player roster but later faced opponents that brought two full teams of 30-plus girls. “It was just kinda demoralizing,” Ert said.
Ert told the board the combined teams sometimes expected Franklin players to play twice during matches and that some of his players had little prior organized experience. He suggested the district look for ways to “pool all of our resources” so smaller programs can field more competitive squads, and said as a parent he is willing to travel across the city to participate in a centralized approach.
The comment appeared during the board’s public‑comment period; the board did not take action on the request during the meeting. Directors thanked Ert for raising the issue and board leaders later discussed programming and K–12 activities in other reports, but no formal directive or motion was recorded.
