Published on March 27, 2025 at 12:15 pm
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Florida lawmakers in 2023 passed a law aimed at starting high school days later in the morning, pointing to research showing that teens are not getting enough sleep.
But two years later, with a 2026 deadline looming for school districts to comply, the Florida Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill that would undo the law and leave it up to local officials to decide when schools start.
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The move came after an outcry from many school districts, which said they are struggling to comply with the deadline because of issues such as a need to buy more buses and hire hard-to-find bus drivers. Also, districts said starting school later could affect students’ after-school activities and families’ child care.
Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican who sponsored Thursday’s bill (SB 296), said the “very well-intended law sought to ensure our students were rested.” But she pointed to the feedback from school districts in trying to carry out the law.
“This mandate would present incredible challenges, financially and otherwise,” Bradley said.
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Sen. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican who sponsored the 2023 law and supported Bradley’s bill, said lawmakers could be “walking into a minefield” if they don’t get rid of the requirements.
Under the law, high schools could not start earlier than 8:30 a.m. and middle schools could not start earlier than 8 a.m. While the law addressed middle schools, it was primarily about high schools.
Citing information from the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, a Senate analysis said the average start time for Florida high schools is 7:45 a.m. It said 46% of high schools start before 7:30 a.m., and 19% start between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.
It said the average start time for middle schools is 9:03 a.m., with 8% starting before 8 a.m.
Bradley’s bill would allow districts to avoid the requirements if they submit reports to the Florida Department of Education that include information about issues such as school start times and strategies considered to have later start times for middle and high schools.
A similar House bill (HB 261) was approved Wednesday by the Education & Employment Committee and is positioned to go to the full House.
Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, called Bradley’s bill a “great step” and that school districts should be able to decide what is best for their students.
“It’s a lot for the Legislature to admit that maybe we made a mistake,” Polsky said.
