CLAY COUNTY— Clay County District Schools has begun assessing the possibility of new school start times for the upcoming school year, and they are asking for parent/guardian input. On March 2, One …
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CLAY COUNTY— Clay County District Schools has begun assessing the possibility of new school start times for the upcoming school year, and they are asking for parent/guardian input.
On March 2, One Clay announced a new survey for families to determine the effectiveness of a new bell schedule.
The concept stems from House Bill 733, previously proposed in 2023. It required that the instructional day of district and charter middle schools start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to help combat the impacts of sleep deprivation on students.
Instead of moving forward with the statutory requirement, a revised version of the bill (Senate Bill 296) allows all district school boards and charter schools to determine their own schedules and submit a report to the Florida Department of Education by June 1.
The district will have three options to choose from.
Option A consists of keeping bell times as they currently are. This would be 7:20 a.m.-1:40 p.m. for high schools, 8:30 a.m.- 2:42 p.m. for elementary schools and 9:30 a.m.-3:42 p.m. for junior high schools.
Option B would see elementary schools begin first and high schools last. This would be 7:20 a.m.-1:32 p.m. for elementary schools, 8:30 a.m.-2:42 p.m. for junior highs and 9:40 a.m.-4 p.m. for high schools.
Option C would swap out elementary and high school start times, while junior highs would relatively remain the same. This would be 7:20 a.m.-1:32 p.m. for elementary schools, 8:30 a.m.-2:50 p.m. for high schools and 9:40 a.m.-3:52 p.m. for junior highs.
The resulting impacts of options B and C, the district said, would include an increased need for after school care, younger siblings being home prior to older siblings in the afternoons and high school athletics having to hold practices in the mornings. Additionally, athletic events may potentially run later in the evenings and after school jobs could be affected.
Ultimately, the School Board will make the final decision, but the district stressed that stakeholder input is important.
To take the survey, visit oneclay.net/o/ccds/page/2026-school-start-times.
