Jesse Scheckner
Let the early bird keep that proverbial worm and give middle and high school students more time to sleep.
That’s what’s being proposed in a bill (HB 733) advancing in the Legislature’s first week of Session.
The measure, which cleared the House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee, would require school districts to adhere to new instruction start times by July 1, 2026. For middle schools, classes could begin no earlier than 8 a.m. For high schools, the start time would be 8:30 a.m.
Wildwood Republican Rep. John Temple, the bill’s sponsor and a career educator, said he filed the legislation after hearing a presentation the committee received last month on school start times and sleep impacts on youths.
Studies have shown adolescents and teens need between eight and 10 hours of sleep nightly but have difficulty falling asleep before 11 p.m. Despite that, Temple said, 48% of public high schools and 26% of charter schools in Florida begin instruction before 7:30 a.m.
“As an educator,” he said, “we are there to (get students) ready to be productive citizens (and) prepare them for lifelong success, and adjusting the start time will definitely have a positive impact.”
Support for the measure was almost unanimous, with Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville casting a dissenting vote. Nixon explained her objection to the bill wasn’t with its objective, but its lack of consideration for other variables that could affect parents, including transportation.
“I have a child in day care, elementary, middle school, high school. It’s going to be tough,” she said. “We should be in the business of ensuring that two are helping these parents and making their lives easier so they can raise productive citizens, (and) transportation is a major issue that working families have to deal with.”
Similarly, Homestead Democratic Rep. Kevin Chambliss expressed concern the change might adversely impact working parents. He asked Temple if he was open to adding language to the bill allowing schools to open earlier so students could come to campus and stay there until classes begin.
Temple said he’d be open to discussing the matter but believed districts already have the authority to open early. Regarding Nixon’s concern, he said school districts would have more than three years to adjust their transportation offerings. During that span, they could review and adopt transportation programs other, similarly sized districts with existing later start times have.
Dr. Brandon Seay, a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep specialist speaking for the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, praised Temple’s bill, noting the AAP has recommended school start time adjustments since 2014.
Later start times, he said, are associated with better scholastic performance, improved sleep for students, decreased tardiness and fewer missed days of school. The group also found the change led to a 70% reduction in car crashes involving teen drivers aged 16-18.
“So, not only that school performance but also public safety would be a big concern,” he said. “We could make some big changes with this bill.”
HB 733 will next go to the House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. It has one more House stop, the Education and Employment Committee, before going to the chamber floor. An identical bill (SB 1112) Republican Sen. Danny Burgess of Zephyrhills filed Feb. 22 awaits its first hearing.
