TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Starting Tuesday, all six high schools in Leon County will extend their school day by up to 10 minutes to ensure students meet the state-required 900 instructional hours.
The change comes after a routine audit revealed that some seniors fell short of required seat time, largely due to weather-related closures over the past two years, according to Chris Petley, a spokesperson for Leon County Schools.
He said schools closed because of two hurricanes, tornadoes, and a snowstorm.
“We believed we were well within the minutes required, but evidently, we were not,” said Petley. “It will allow us to ensure that our students are receiving adequate seat time within our school system.”
He said the change also provides some extra leeway in case of any future closures and aims to prevent the need to add make-up days later in the school year.
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Godby, Leon and SAIL high schools will now run from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. Chiles, Lincoln and Rickards will run from 7:25 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.
Petley emphasized that the changes won’t affect elementary or middle school schedules, nor will they impact bus routes, which operate on a tiered system.
“There was a little bit of concern from the community, and we heard that,” Petley said. “Our buses arrive way before the start of high school, so we’re not going to be adjusting the bus schedule.”
Petley said schools may distribute the extra minutes by slightly extending each class period by one or two minutes.
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