What time should school start in South Florida?
Bottom Line: This debate isn’t a new one. It is one that has recently become an increasingly discussed issue. Starting with Florida’s 2017 passage of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would leave Florida in Daylight Saving Time permanently, the staunchest opposition came and continues to come from those concerned about children standing at bus stops in the dark some of the year. The argument kicked up another notch across South Florida when Miami-Dade announced the school day would be moved back to start at 8 as opposed to 7:30. Now other districts are discussing changes too. In fact, schools in the tri coun-area have times for the start of the school day that range from as early as 7:00 to as late as 9:30. What’s the best time?Is there a best time? Yes, at least to researchers.
Based on a 2014 study from the American Association of Pediatrics, the best time for grade school to start is 8:30. That time was found to have the best balance for a satisfactory night’s sleep while still balancing typical biological rhythms. When you consider that most business days start around that time as well, there’s a case to be made it’s sensible for still preparing kids for the real world as well. 8:30 has the added benefit of keeping kids out of the dark for concerned parents worried about Florida remaining in Daylight Saving Time (which if you’ve heard me discuss the topic you know I’m a huge proponent of for numerous reasons including economic and health).
There are times when simply following the best available science makes sense. If we’re trying to find the best time to start a school day 8:30 seems to check all of the health and economic balances. I’m sure some parents would complain about an inconvenience with their schedules but that’s always going to be the case. For some it’s a different kind of burden already. So, what do you think? Should Florida make the move to 8:30? You know where I stand.