Gabrielle Russon
At 8 a.m. sharp Wednesday, Republican Rep. John Temple sat in a committee meeting as lawmakers grumbled about the early start time.
“Under my breath, I mumbled, ‘It’s not too early to go to school, you know?’” Temple said.
The Legislature in 2023 tried to impose rules aimed at making sure young people get enough sleep by requiring schools to start later, but the efforts are causing havoc.
That law requires middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. But the state also gave a three-year period before schools had to comply with the mandate.
With the deadline approaching next year, a bill to nullify the 2023 law is advancing this Session. The final House committee has now approved the measure, making it ready for the House floor.
The House Education and Employment Committee passed HB 261 Thursday with a vote of 18-0 as several education advocates spoke out in favor of it. The Senate version of the bill (SB 296) has been placed on the calendar for a second reading.
“Some of the things that were a problem just seemed insurmountable. We could buy more buses. We couldn’t make more bus drivers,” said Rep. Anne Gerwig, the Wellington Republican who sponsored HB 261, on why the 2023 law was causing issues for schools.
“Dual enrollment students would have a problem with these later start times because they wouldn’t be able to participate in college classes that they’re taking in school.”
Under the bill, schools would be required to submit a report to the state describing their outreach over the issue and how later start times would financially impact the district.
“This bill does not abandon that issue of health and sleep,” argued Chris Doolin, the lobbyist for the Small School District Council Consortium that represents 36 districts.
Luisa Santos, a Miami-Dade County School Board member, called it a “fair bill” since schools are urged to consider their students’ sleep needs while also giving big school districts, like Miami-Dade, flexibility.
Charman Postel, the Florida PTA’s Education Chair, spoke on the role parents play in making sure their kids get enough sleep.
“We are in favor of this particular bill because it not only empowers the school boards elected by the parents to make well informed decisions that best serve their schools,” she said.
“To make this bill even stronger, we do believe it should also require school districts to clearly inform parents about the guidelines and the factors influencing these decisions and empower parents to take ownership over their children’s sleep schedules.”
