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Many Tampa Bay schools will get later start times, but not until 2026

Legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis would mostly impact middle and high schools in Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties.
 
A bus leaves St. Petersburg High before 7 a.m. after dropping students off on the first day of school on Aug. 24, 2020. Under a new state law that takes effect in 2026, Florida high schools will be required to start the day no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
A bus leaves St. Petersburg High before 7 a.m. after dropping students off on the first day of school on Aug. 24, 2020. Under a new state law that takes effect in 2026, Florida high schools will be required to start the day no earlier than 8:30 a.m. [ MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times ]
Published May 15, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will lead to many high school students having later school start times in the future.

Lawmakers passed the bill (HB 733) during the legislative session that ended earlier this month. It will prevent middle schools from beginning the “instructional day” earlier than 8 a.m., while high schools will be barred from starting the school day before 8:30 a.m.

The start times will be required to take effect by July 2026, giving school districts three years to develop plans.

The legislation, signed Friday by DeSantis, will affect thousands of students at dozens of schools in the Tampa Bay area.

In Pinellas County, the district’s 17 traditional high schools start at 7:35 a.m. or earlier. Ten of Pasco County’s 17 high schools start at 7:16 a.m. or earlier, and another five start between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Hernando County’s five high schools start at 7:20 a.m. or earlier, and six of Pasco’s 17 middle schools start before 8 a.m.

Most middle schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties start after 9:30 a.m. and would not be affected, providing their current times are preserved. The same applies to Hernando middle schools, which start at 9:10 a.m., and Hillsborough high schools, which moved start times to 8:30 a.m. in 2017.

Statewide, about 48% of Florida’s public high schools start school before 7:30 a.m., according to the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Another 19% of high schools start between 7:30 a.m. and 7:59 a.m. Supporters of the bill have pointed to studies that say later start times would benefit high school students by allowing them more sleep time.

“What we’re doing now (with earlier start times) is not what’s best for our kids, for the adolescents especially,” Senate bill sponsor Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, said during the session. “It’s the ‘how’ that can be the hard challenge and the logistics of that and how we make this happen.”

But the bill has led to concerns about issues such as student transportation and how working parents would be affected by later school start times.

Information from Times staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek was included in this report.

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