The concerns rise as a fla. Bill could force school starts to change

Florida's senators have a legislative template that reverses the start-up requirements for central and high schools. This comes shortly before a new law comes into force in 2026 and you have to start later.

Sydney Chaplin, who picks up her granddaughter from Centennial High School in Port St. Lucie, likes the school plan of what he is.

“I just think you should leave things alone and let the schools decide,” said Chaplin. “She comes from school early enough – the traffic is not bad, but when it got out ten minutes after 4:00 a.m., the traffic was terrible.”

There is the possibility that the schedule does not have to change.

On Monday, the Senate Committee for Education voted 6-1 for the mandatory requirement for school start times. From the next school year, the middle schools cannot start before 8:00 a.m., and the high schools cannot start before 8:30 a.m.

Some districts, including the Martin County school district, have already accepted this change, but the public schools of St. Lucie County do not.

REGARD: What the superintendent of St. Lucie County, Jon Prince, says about the invoice for the examination

“We have to compress our three transport levels in two levels, which will bring a lot more traffic on the streets in a few hours,” said Jon Prince, superintendent of St. Lucie County.

Prince said that the change is forcing it to buy more school buses and financially burden the school district.

Some argue that it can also be a problem for schoolchildren with responsibilities or activities after school.

“They get out of 1:45 p.m. especially among students and many of these children take care of younger siblings,” said Prince.

The WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia turned to Senator Lori Berman, who voted in 2023 for the school requirements. It has a change in the heart. She replied with the following explanation:

“I supported the original invoice on the basis of science, which shows that older children do better with a later start time. Unfortunately, it has proven to be logistically impossible to implement both in Palm Beach County and throughout the state. I voted for the inappropriate prerequisite, but agreed with the language in the invoice, which enables the school districts flexibility to adapt the time. “

What comes next could be decided in Tallahassee.

“We know what's in the best interest of our own communities and I hope you give us the decision to make this to do this yourself,” said Prince.