Florida on verge of walking back later start to school days for middle and high schools
Acknowledging the problems the 2023 law posed for many school districts, the Florida House on Tuesday unanimously agreed to give districts more local control over their bell schedules. The action came a month after the Senate voted unanimously for the change, meaning all that's left is for Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign off.
The changes codified in SB 296 would allow school districts to avoid the requirement that middle schools begin no earlier than 8 a.m., and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m., by studying the potential effects and submitting a report to the state detailing why the shift would not work for them.
House sponsor Rep. Anne Gerwig, R-Wellington, said the idea behind the original legislation, which gave districts three years to prepare, was well intentioned and backed by solid research on the sleep patterns of adolescents and teens.
While some districts were able to comply, Gerwig said, several others — mostly small rural and large urban ones — confronted circumstances that made it difficult to do so. Pinellas County officials, for instance, said altering their schedules could cost close to $3 million and require dozens of additional bus drivers. Pasco County schools had similar logistic concerns.
Gerwig noted the new requirement would still have districts explore the possibility of changing their schedules, but give them leeway if the consequences prove too daunting.
Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Orlando, said she supported the measure, just as she opposed the initial version for some of the same reasons the reversal became necessary.
'I would hope this would be a lesson to this body,' Bracy Davis said. 'When this bill came, so many of us yelled to the rooftops about the unintended consequences. ... Unfortunately it fell on deaf ears. So here we are repealing the bill.'
To which Gerwig responded, 'A lot of times we don't really realize everything that could happen.'
Danielle Thomas, a lobbyist for the Florida School Boards Association, said the bill's passage was 'exactly what was needed' for districts, noting they would only have to submit a report to the state, and that it would not need approval.
Even before the House vote, local officials said they welcomed the opportunity to study start times with the flexibility to act as best meets their needs.
'We'll be doing all the things that we need to do, that the law requires,' said Betsy Kuhn, Pasco deputy superintendent. Whatever bell times are approved, Kuhn added, 'you don't make everyone happy unless everybody starts at 8:30 a.m.'
Pinellas school board member Lisa Cane said she has heard many students argue against changes that would interfere with after school activities and jobs. She stressed that dealing with traffic in the densely populated county will be a top concern alongside community wishes.
The Hillsborough County school district implemented later middle and high school start times before the Legislature mandate was adopted.
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