Legislature passes bill to push back school start times
Michelle Vecerina contributed to this report.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – The Florida Legislature approved a bill to push back middle school and high school start times across the state.
The bill is awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.
Middle schools would not be allowed to begin prior to 8 a.m. and high school instructional activity would not be allowed to begin earlier than 8:30 a.m. The changes would take place July 1, 2026.
Supporters of the bill said the pushed back times would help students receive more sleep. Others questioned whether the state should supersede a local board’s decision.
The proposal received bipartisan support as it passed out of the House 92-20 and 38-2 in the Senate.
The legislation requires school boards to inform parents, students, teachers, and other stakeholders about the “health, safety, and academic impacts of sleep deprivation.”
The bill was carried by John Paul Temple, R-Wildwood, and Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, in the Senate.
During House Speaker Paul Renner’s opening day House floor speech to start off the 2023 Legislative Session, he discussed school start times.
“Quality sleep is also critical to children’s learning and mental health,” Renner said. “So we will pursue appropriate school start times as a zero cost way to improve both academic scores and mental well being.”
The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability conducted research on school start times in Florida and found that school start times vary across the state, and even within the school district.
For Florida public schools, high schools begin at 7:47 a.m., elementary schools begin at 8:14 a.m., and middle schools begin at 9:06 a.m. on average.
In a 2014 policy statement on school start times for adolescents, the American Academy of Pediatrics referenced two researched biological factors that make it easier for adolescents to stay awake later.
The research indicated that the average teenager in today’s society has difficulty falling asleep before 11:00 p.m. and is best suited to wake at 8:00 a.m. or later.
