EDUCATION
By Jeffrey S. Solochek Tampa Bay Times
Plans to repeal a law requiring later middle and high school start times by 2026 took a left turn Wednesday, as a Florida House subcommittee rewrote a bill that already had won strong support in two Senate hearings. The measures presented to both chambers had been identical heading into the House hearing. They would kill the language mandating the changes, instead telling school districts to consider the benefits of later start times when adopting their schedules. Sponsor Rep. Anne Gerwig, R-Wellington, instead introduced an amendment to flip the script. Instead of deleting the mandate, Gerwig proposed keeping it intact but adding a provision that would allow districts to work around it by submitting proof that they couldn’t meet the expectations.
The report would include documentation that the district considered different options and strategies to change the start times, along with possible unintended consequences it faced if it were to implement a plan. That way, Gerwig said, the goal of following the research on student sleep needs would remain intact even as some schools demonstrated why they cannot follow through. Concerns have included increased costs associated with buying more buses and hiring more drivers to accommodate anticipated route changes, and concerns about having elementary children waiting for buses in the dark if they are moved to the earliest start times.
The bill won strong support from colleagues and members of the public, who applauded the move to give more flexibility to local schools. “This is a very important bill because it recognizes a glide path that allows districts to go in and look at what they need to do,” said Chris Doolin, a lobbyist for 36 small districts — 12 which have met the new start time requirements and 24 that have not.
More than two dozen people submitted cards of support for the bill, including representatives from three school districts, two unions and associations representing school boards, superintendents and parents. “I think this is a lesson to all of us here that we should be listening to subject-matter experts,” said Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Ocoee, noting that district officials and others had warned of the potential costs and downsides of the start time shift in past years.
Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, said he agreed with that perspective. “We all understand the science, and the science makes sense, but this is a logistical nightmare,” Holcomb said. “We’re listening to our school boards. We’re listening to our parents.” But it will all be for nothing if the two chambers can’t come together on how to resolve the concerns, he added. “I look forward to improving this bill, to make it more like the Senate’s,” Holcomb said.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article302369684.html
