Florida Senate overturns mandate for later school start times

The Florida Senate has unanimously passed legislation (SB 296) to repeal a 2023 law that mandated later start times for high schools and middle schools, citing significant compliance challenges faced by school districts. These challenges include bus shortages and concerns about impacts on after-school activities and childcare arrangements. The 2023 law required high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and middle schools at 8 a.m. or later, but feedback from districts indicated that the mandate was financially burdensome and impractical. Senator Jennifer Bradley, who sponsored the repeal, described the original law as well-intentioned but ultimately problematic. Senator Danny Burgess, who supported the 2023 measure, also acknowledged the difficulties in implementing the start time changes. The new bill allows local districts to set their own start times while still encouraging them to consider sleep research in their planning.