2024 Legislation
Many are likely aware that the state of Florida has passed legislation that will come into effect in the 2026-2027 school year, which prevents high schools from starting any earlier than 8:30 and middle schools before 8:00 a.m. The change would be impactful for students, with benefits and drawbacks.
Proponents of the new schedule argue that this will mean more sleep and therefore, hopefully, higher attentiveness, higher attendance, and better grades. Another advantage, and one of the main reasons for the change, is bussing efficiency. With the current driver shortage, a large percent of students arrive late to school in the morning, and get home late in the afternoon.
Some drawbacks of this change will be later dismissal times, which would affect those in clubs and sports, as well as those with jobs or other after school obligations. Getting out of school an hour or two later, or even later when accounting for after-school activities, could cause even later bedtimes, undermining the promise of more sleep. Another concern comes from parents who have 9 to 5 jobs who will have to find alternative plans to get their kids to and from school. Some older students assist with transportation and care for their siblings and a change in start times could make that more difficult or impossible.
Next School Year
The state of Florida is recommending schools begin to adapt to the change in the upcoming school year, either fully falling back to 8:30 a.m., or pushing start times back slightly. The School District of Lee County, however, is proposing to actually move high school start times up, with high school starting at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 2:00 p.m. The district made the change to provide buses coming from high schools more time before elementary and middle start times. The new schedule also lengthens the school day, creating longer periods and a longer lunch, which would create not only an earlier morning for the students but a longer educational day and less time for afterschool activities. There are concerns that it also fails to comply with the legislation, moving instead in the opposite direction.
Panther students share mixed opinions about the adjustments. Freshman Skylar Sanders said, “I don’t get enough sleep getting to school at 7, but getting out so late after school won’t help either.”
Junior Francisco Hernandez, pictured to the right, was surprised to hear about the upcoming change. “I would be okay with the later start time, but we’ll have to get up earlier next year.” Many were caught off guard like Junior Fernando Carrasquel. “I didn’t even know that was happening. Won’t getting up earlier next year just cause more problems?”
Despite some of the negatives, the change is likely something we will have to face in the near future. The question is how will we adapt?
