ORLANDO, Fla. – Should Orange County Public Schools move its start times?
The question is going before students, parents, and employees again.
The district is sending out a new survey on whether to adjust the start times for elementary, middle, and high schools to comply with state law.
Currently, elementary schools start at 8:45 a.m., middle schools at 9:30 a.m., and high schools at 7:20 a.m.
The adjusted proposal would have elementary schools start at 7:45 a.m., middle schools at 9:35 a.m., and high schools at 8:40 a.m.
[WATCH BELOW: Orange County schools survey reopens start time debate]
The survey is available online.
The new times are in line with guidance by medical experts who say teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. Studies show starting school later improves a teen’s mood, their attendance, and academic outcomes.
However, many Orange County residents in the past have largely opposed changing the start times.
An OCPS survey in 2019 found that 52% of respondents strongly supported keeping the current school start times, and 58% opposed switching elementary and high school start times.
[WATCH: Florida Senate backs off later school start times]
Florida passed a law in 2023 that would require districts to change school start times. This year, lawmakers amended the law to allow school districts to get around the 2023 requirements if they submit a report showing the impact of the changes, including logistical and financial impacts, and how the community feels about them.
Osceola County’s school district sent out a similar survey earlier this month.
[VIDEO: Osceola County considers new school start times]
Walking out of a Publix in College Park with his mom at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Liam Warrick told News 6 that he’s content with his current schedule.
“I like how it is,” said Warrick, a ninth-grade student at Edgewater High School. “Just having the rest of the day off to do any homework I need, extracurricular activities, stuff like that.”
Down the road, News 6 visited the pick-up line outside Princeton Elementary School. Parents there balked at the idea of the school days for younger kids starting an hour earlier than they do now.
“For kids, it’s very important to have enough sleep time,” said Natalia, a parent of two elementary school students.
Ben Graves wondered if the extracurricular activities that his young daughter attends before school would be shifted to the afternoon in the event that start times change.
“If I were to take the survey now, I would opt to keep it the same,” Graves said.
The survey will remain open to the entire Orange County community through Friday, Nov. 21. Respondents do not need to have a student in the district in order to complete the survey
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