Hillsborough delays potential school start time changes
TAMPA (FOX 13) - A push to change start times for Hillsborough County schools just got delayed by at least one year.
Superintendent Jeff Eakins says the delay will give the district more time to make adjustments and address concerns.
Under the proposal, elementary schools would start later, at 8:35 instead of 8:15. Middle schools would start at 9:30 instead of 9. But high school would start earlier, at 7:15 instead of 7:33.
The district says adjusting the schedule this way would give bus drivers more time between high school and elementary school routes.
In a note to parents Monday, Eakins said sticking to the current arrival and dismissal schedule is "not achievable," but offered an olive branch to parents who objected to the proposed change.
"We need to act in order to improve the schedule so that our students are in class, on time. We feel the proposed schedule is in fact, the best for our community. We care about how our parents feel and much of the feedback we have heard centered around the fact that families do not have enough time to plan for these changes."
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