School districts work to change future start times to comply with new Florida law by 2026
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — School districts across Florida are working to change their future start times in order to comply with a new Florida law in time for the 2026 academic year.
By July 1, 2026, school districts must start middle school classes after 8 a.m. and high school classes must not start before 8:30 a.m.
The change in start times for high school and middle school students will likely impact start times for elementary schools.
Polk County held a town hall Monday night to discuss potential changes due to the law. While the law doesn’t go into effect for two more years, school leaders are using this time to collect input from parents, teachers, and students.
“We’re definitely concerned about making sure all the angles are covered,” said Ryan DelliVeniri, chairman of the district advisory council for Polk County Public Schools. “I think that the worst thing to do would be to pump out a solution that only works for a group of people and not most of the people.”
State leaders hope starting school later would help students get more sleep and lead to better mental and physical health.
“We know that there’s a strong correlation between sleep and depression,” said Jennifer Tomko, a clinical psychotherapist for Clarity Health Solutions. “For every hour less than what a child needs, there’s a 38% increase in the chances of depression or sad thoughts. Irritability definitely goes up.”
Similar conversations about shifting school start times are also taking place in Pinellas, Pasco, and Sarasota counties.
“I don’t think it’s going to be successful,” said Norma Tutt, the mother of a Davenport student. “I don’t think it’s going to change anything.”
Tutt said the changes aren’t going to prepare students for adult life.
“It’s not going to do anything but give them more time to stay awake,” she said.
The statewide mandate stems from medical research conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which includes the following recommendation:
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes insufficient sleep in adolescents as an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety, as well as the academic success, of our nation’s middle and high school students. Although a number of factors, including biological changes in sleep associated with puberty, lifestyle choices, and academic demands, negatively affect middle and high school students’ ability to obtain sufficient sleep, the evidence strongly implicates earlier school start times (ie, before 8:30 am) as a key modifiable contributor to insufficient sleep, as well as circadian rhythm disruption, in this population. Furthermore, a substantial body of research has now demonstrated that delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss and has a wide range of potential benefits to students with regard to physical and mental health, safety, and academic achievement.“
Polk County
Current start times:
Elementary: 7:45 a.m. — 8:15 a.m.
Middle: 9 a.m. — 9:15 a.m.
High: 7 a.m.
Hillsborough County
Already implemented changes in the 2018-19 school year that comply with the law.
Elementary: 7:40 a.m.
Middle: 9:30 a.m.
High: 8:30 a.m.
Pinellas County
The school board has already began having discussions about the new law, but has not made a decision on new start times. Current times:
Elementary: 9:40 a.m.
Middle: 8:30 a.m. — 9:15 a.m.
High: 7:10 a.m. — 7:35 a.m.
Exceptional education centers: 10 a.m.
Pasco County
Start times currently vary greatly depending on the school. Current times:
Elementary (academy): 7:10 a.m.
Elementary: 8:10 a.m.
Middle: Starting at 7:10 a.m.
High: Starting at 7:06 a.m.
Sarasota County
The school district doesn’t plan to implement any schedule changes until the 2026 school year. Discussions have not yet been held, but are expected to take place in 2025. Current times vary by school and are posted on each school’s website.
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