With a new school year underway, students and parents in St. Paul Public Schools will see a number of changes.

There are new district buildings, student cell phone use and high school career opportunities.

Here’s what families should know:

New construction

There are 37 construction projects happening in the district this year, but at least two major ones are completed for the fall semester.

A ribbon cutting will be held Sept. 25 for the remodeled Barack and Michelle Obama Montessori and Middle School and on Oct. 2 for the new Bruce Vento Elementary School.

The finished Obama Montessori and Middle School houses both the pre-kindergarten through 5th grade Montessori program that has been located at J.J. Hill Montessori, and a new 6th through 8th grade middle school.

Remodeled areas include a general learning space, gym, cafeteria, media center, art room and administration office. The middle and elementary schools are connected by shared spaces, such as the cafeteria and media center.

The Bruce Vento construction is the district’s first new building in a decade.

Construction of a new 160,000-square-foot building has been completed and it will continue to house pre-kindergarten to 5th grade students and now include an Early Childhood and Community Hub, which includes childhood programming and community services

Technology

St. Paul Public Schools adopted its district-wide cellphone policy earlier this year. It states that the use of personal electronic devices, such as cellphones and smartwatches, will not be permitted during school hours and such devices must be put away. High schools can have individualized plans, with some allowing cellphone use during non-instructional time.

The district also is providing 38,000 new iPads to students and staff.

Also new this year: parents can now track the status of their students’ school bus using a GPS tracking app. To learn more, go to: spps.org/families/transportation.

New programming, meals

The district’s Karen Language and Culture Program at Wellstone Elementary is going to expand from kindergarten to first grade and the East African Magnet School has added a seventh grade.

The East African Magnet School, which serves pre-kindergarten to seventh grade, is expected to add eighth grade in a year, said Jackie Turner, SPPS executive chief of administration and operations.

High school seniors will be able to earn credits toward an apprenticeship this year as part of a district partnership with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49. The one-year program includes a classroom portion on careers in equipment operation and time in a sandbox where students learn to operate heavy machinery.

In addition to new programming, the district also has new lunch and breakfast options this year.

New leadership

Eight St. Paul schools will have new principals this school year.

They are Amanda Herrera Gundale at Obama Middle School; Danielle Hughes at Benjamin E. Mays IB World School; Lesly Gamez at Global Arts Plus Upper Campus; Andrea Thiner at Harding Senior High School; Andrew Barter at L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion; Lauren Bolopue at Nokomis Montessori North; Phillip Hutcheson at St. Anthony Park Elementary; and Dr. Theresa Thao-Yang at Txuj Ci HMong Upper Campus.

And, Superintendent Stacie Stanley, who started last May, will be serving in her first full school year. Stanley, who grew up in St. Paul, previously was the superintendent for Edina Public Schools.

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Former Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen is facing more legal trouble after allegedly driving more than double the speed limit on Interstate 494 in Minnetonka late Friday.

Griffen, who is on probation for a DWI conviction, was pulled over in his 2020 Bentley Bentayga SUV by Minnetonka police on I-494 near Stone Road about 10:15 p.m. for allegedly going 130 mph in a 60 mph zone, court records show. The 37-year-old from Minnetrista was cited for misdemeanor reckless driving and speeding, a petty misdemeanor.

Griffen’s alleged risky behavior comes after he was arrested on a warrant July 19 for alleged probation violations in last year’s DWI case out of Hennepin County. Court documents allege he had failed to abstain from alcohol and substance use and did not comply with random drug testing.

Judge Gina Brandt on July 21 ordered Griffen to undergo an in-custody substance use assessment. Three days later, Brandt ordered Griffen to participate in a treatment program and undergo a mental health evaluation. He was released to his attorney David Valentini to be taken to treatment at the Retreat in Wayzata, according to court records.

Just days earlier, on July 16, Griffen was removed from a Delta Air Lines jet bound for Minneapolis from Chicago shortly after takeoff due to “unruly behavior,” a Delta spokesperson told TMZ Sports, which first reported the incident. A passenger told the media outlet it appeared as though Griffen was trying to smoke something in the bathroom, causing a confrontation with flight attendants. Once the plane landed, Griffen walked off the plane without incident.

Griffen shared on Instagram at the time: “I’m doing just fine. My behavior was not unruly at all. Why would they let me go[?],” according to Sports Illustrated.

Valentini did not immediately respond to a message left Tuesday seeking comment on Friday’s incident.

A review hearing in the DWI case is scheduled for Oct. 27.

Past trouble

The alleged offense is the latest in a string of troubles for Griffen.

In February 2023, he was put on probation for one year for a reckless driving conviction that stemmed from a DWI arrest in Chanhassen in July of that year.

About three months later, Griffen crashed his 2017 Mercedes-Benz into a car, then a fence and gazebo in Mound. He was convicted of failure to drive with due care, a petty misdemeanor.

Griffen was pulled over by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper at 11:35 p.m. May 28, 2024, for driving his Bentley at 82 mph on southbound I-35W near Lake Street. A passenger was in the front seat. A small vial with cocaine was found in his back pocket, and a breath test taken about an hour after the stop registered a 0.10 BAC, the charges said. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08.

In November, Griffen was given 60 days on electronic home monitoring and put on probation for four years for driving drunk on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis in May 2024. Judge Brandt followed a plea deal, staying a one-year workhouse sentence.

Griffen has struggled with mental health issues over the years.

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He missed five games in 2018 because of a mental health situation, writing in an Instagram post that he is “bipolar” and will “be an advocate for mental health.”

He spent the 2020 season with the Cowboys and Lions, then rejoined the Vikings for what would be his final year. He was placed on the non-football illness list following an incident at his Minnetrista home on Nov. 24, 2021, in which he posted a since-deleted disturbing video on Instagram that showed him holding a handgun and expressing concern for his safety.

He had called 911 to report an intruder, though no one was found. Police and mental health officials worked for several hours to get Griffen to come out of his home before he was taken by ambulance to a mental health facility.

Griffen played 170 games over his career, finishing with 399 tackles, 85½ sacks, six fumble recoveries, two interceptions and three touchdowns.

A BB gun that a White Bear Lake teen brandished at last week’s Stillwater Area High School football game in Oak Park Heights “looked exactly like an actual” pistol, authorities said.

A group of students attending the game told a police officer around 8:15 p.m. Thursday that the boy had threatened them with a firearm, stating he was “gonna put a 9mm bullet in your skull” and told them to step outside the stadium, according to a juvenile petition.

He also allegedly said, “Don’t make me shoot your (expletive)” to a student who had made fun of his skinny jeans and pulled up his shirt to display the apparent pistol in his waistband, the petition stated.

Officers confronted the teen, who was standing in line to re-enter the stadium, and he ran into the stadium.

An officer “tackled him into a chain-link fence and onto the ground underneath the bleachers,” the petition said. “The (boy) landed on his back and reached towards the front of his waistband.” Two civilians helped officers control the teen until backup officers arrived.

The boy told officers he’s not a SAHS student and was at the game with his girlfriend, who attends the school. He said he ran “because he was scared of the police and knew he had the BB gun,” according to the petition. The BB gun’s magazine was empty.

The teen is charged with felony threats of violence, gross misdemeanor brandishing of a replica firearm or BB gun while on school property, and petty misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer by a means other than a motor vehicle.

The incident occurred a day after a shooter opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding another 21 people celebrating Mass.

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The Twins’ potentially crowded rotation suddenly looks a lot less packed.

While the Twins are still expecting ace Pablo López, out since early June with a shoulder injury, to return this weekend, which will give them six starters, they optioned Mick Abel to Triple-A on Monday and on Tuesday announced that David Festa — out with shoulder inflammation — is not expected to return this season.

Festa, who made a rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul on Aug. 28, had symptoms recur during his last bullpen day, Rocco Baldelli said Tuesday. The Twins manager said the team expects Festa to visit Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon based in Texas — likely next week.

It’s a tough setback for the 25-year-old right-hander, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury of some form for most of this season.

Festa began the season in Triple-A but was called up April to join the rotation for when López suffered a hamstring strain. He made three starts before being optioned back to St. Paul. Shortly after, his shoulder started bothering him, keeping him out of action from May 6-23. Festa returned to the majors in early June but by late July, the Twins shut him down.

A magnetic resonance imaging revealed no structural damage but an impingement in the right shoulder, for which he received a pair of injections. That injury, it now turns out, was the end of his major league season. Festa pitched in just one game in the second half.

Vázquez hoping to return

One player for whom the Twins haven’t ruled out a return is catcher Christian Vázquez.

Vázquez has been on the injured list for almost a month as he deals with an infection in his left shoulder that required a procedure. The catcher has been getting antibiotics administered through a PICC line and has been recovering at his home in Florida. But he is due to return to the Twin Cities this week.

“I think he’s doing well,” Baldelli said. “I think Vazky would love to play again this year. I think he has every intention of trying to get back and play again and prove that he’s healthy going into the offseason. And he just likes to play baseball. So, if he can come back and play baseball, I think he would absolutely love to be here.”

Briefly

The Twins will send Zebby Matthews to the mound for the third game of the series against the Chicago White Sox. He is scheduled to face Yoendrys Gómez, who limited the Twins to no runs on two hits in 4⅔ innings pitched in late August.