Later school start times might not happen as state lawmakers consider repeal of '23 law
On second thought ...
School start and end times might not be pushed back to later in the day in 2026 after all. Two years after state legislators approved a change pushing school start times back, some who supported that change are now backing a bill to scrap the idea.
Senate Bill 296 moved through the Education Pre-K-12 Committee on Monday, March 3 on a vote of 6-1. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, would repeal the 2023 school start times law, which moved high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and middle school start times to no earlier than 8 a.m. State Rep. Anne Gerwig, a Republican who previously served as mayor of Wellington, has introduced a companion bill in the state House, House Bill 261.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 2023 bill into law; he has given no indication about how he feels about its possible repeal.
The later start times were thought to be a good way to help students get more sleep. But as school districts contemplated the changes, they worried about their impact on transportation, extracurricular activities, before- and after-school care as well as on student after-school jobs.
The Palm Beach County School District has been among many across the state urging legislators to reconsider.
"The school district is also requesting flexibility from the state legislature regarding the new start and end times," the district said in a statement regarding the repeal legislation. "This may result in the school district receiving legislative relief that will allow us to maintain our current start and end times."
State Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, supported the 2023 bill pushing back start times.
"I thought it was a great idea," Berman said of the notion of giving students an opportunity for more sleep.
But Berman was among those on the Education Pre-K-12 Committee who voted to repeal the 2023 law.
"I voted to reverse the original bill," she said, adding that she did so after district officials told her pushing start and end times back would be impractical. "I did say I would like to see them try to address (more sleep for students) as best as they can."
Berman said she believes the repeal legislation will pass the full Senate.
"I'm happy to see it reversed," she said.
The school district held hearings and put together a survey to relay to state officials what they saw as the impracticalities of the new start and end times. It also posted a Q&A for parents on the school start change that suggested the biggest hurdle for the district would be the impact on transportation — and not just for middle and high school students.
"Our buses run tiered routes, meaning most buses transport students for all three levels (elementary, middle, and high) at varied times," the district's Q&A information states. "If the start and end times for one level change, it will impact the transportation time for all levels."
The district has been considering a trio of new schedules that would radically alter the school day for students, parents and teachers.
One scheduling option, which the district outlined in its Q&A, would have elementary school students start their day at 7:30 a.m. and end at 1:35 p.m. Middle schoolers would start at 10:45 a.m. and go to 4:50 p.m., and high school students would begin at 8:45 a.m. and end their day at 3:45 p.m.
District officials say having the existing fleet of buses handle the work isn't simply to avoid the cost of buying more vehicles, though that won't be inexpensive.
"Buying more buses will not solve the problem because we currently have a bus driver shortage," the district Q&A information states. "We are actively recruiting bus drivers. This is a nationwide problem."
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Later school start times: Senators say repeal of law is poised to pass
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