PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Florida Senators are moving forward with a bill reversing start-time requirements for middle and high schools. This comes just before a new law takes effect in 2026 requiring them to start later.
Sydney Chaplin, who picks up her granddaughter from Centennial High School in Port St. Lucie, likes the school schedule the way it is.
“I just think they should leave things alone and let the schools decide,” Chaplin said. “She gets out of school early enough—the traffic isn’t bad, but when she got out ten minutes after 4:00, the traffic was horrendous.”
There’s a chance the schedule won’t have to change.
On Monday, the Senate Committee on Education voted 6-1 to undo the mandatory requirement for school start times. Now, starting next school year, middle schools can’t start before 8:00 a.m., and high schools can’t start before 8:30 a.m.
Some districts, including the Martin County School District, have already adopted this change, but St. Lucie County Public Schools has not.
WATCH: What St. Lucie County Superintendent Jon Prince says about the bill up for consideration
“We’re going to have to compress our three tiers of transportation into two tiers, which is going to put a lot more traffic on the roads in a couple hours,” St. Lucie County Superintendent Jon Prince said.
Prince said that the change is forcing them to buy more school busses, financially burdening the school district.
Some argue it can also be a problem for students with responsibilities or activities after school.
“Especially with high school students, they get out at about 1:45 p.m., and a lot of those kids, they take care of younger siblings,” Prince said.
WPTV Reporter Cassandra Garcia reached out to Senator Lori Berman who voted for the school start requirement in 2023. She’s had a change of heart. She responded with the following statement:
“I supported the original bill based on the science showing that older children do better with a later start time. Unfortunately, it has been proven logistically impossible to implement in Palm Beach County as well as throughout the state. I voted to undue the mandatory requirement but agree with the language in the bill allowing flexibility for the school districts to adjust 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 they give us the decision-making power to do this ourselves,” Prince said.
