School start times one step closer to remaining a local decision
Leon High School in Tallahassee Florida on July 21, 2022. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Florida Phoenix)
A bill to leave Florida school start times up to localities advanced through its first committee stop in the Senate, the Pre-K-12 education panel.
The Legislature in 2023 voted to push back school start times, set to take effect in 2026. The law was focused on students getting more sleep. If allowed to take effect, middle schools would not be allowed to start before 8 a.m. and high schools before 8:30 a.m.
SB 296, introduced by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, would rescind the state's say in what time schools start, leaving it up to school boards. Districts, lawmakers say, have been clear that changing start times would be costly, among other challenges.
Bradley encouraged schools to start the school day later if they see that as the better option, and said she is glad the 2023 law prompted discussion.
'Your school schedule is sort of the rhythm of the community, and no two counties are exactly the same. So let's have our counties talk about the need for sleep, consider all of these issues and then at the local level make the best decision for that county,' Bradley said during the hearing.
Bradley said the 2023 law was 'well-intentioned' but the feedback 'is overwhelming' that challenges would arise.
School start times may not change after all
She reiterated to the committee many of the same points she shared with the Phoenix in January. A new schedule could require a district to purchase extra buses, hire more bus drivers, or change sports schedules in a costly way, Bradley said. One school district, she said, would have had to purchase 19 buses to accommodate the start times and additional bus drivers.
For parents, it could mean paying more for childcare, adjusting parents' or students' work schedules, or leaving students waiting for buses in the dark, early hours of the morning.
Sen. Danny Burgess, a Republican representing parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties, sponsored the initiative two years ago and Monday voted in committee to support repealing the state mandate.
'It was a total love-hate relationship when I was presenting this bill,' Burgess said. 'I 100% believe in the science, as we all do, but … what ultimately made me feel okay was that we had a three-year glidepath.'
Sen. Rosalind Osgood, a Democrat representing part of Broward County, said she is in support of the bill, and being able to go back on earlier decisions 'shows that we're listening.'
Sen. Don Gaetz voted in opposition to the bill.
The measure next goes to the Pre-K-12 and fiscal policies committees. Rep. Chuck Brannan introduced an identical bill in the House.
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