ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — If your student goes to school in Pinellas County, their bell time could be changing this fall. Pinellas County school board members voted Tuesday evening to change the start and end times for the fall. This will impact 12 schools, a majority of which are elementary schools.
District leaders said this is all happening because of a bus driver shortage. During the board meeting, district leaders said changing the bell times for some schools will reduce the number of bus routes making them more effective routes.
Changing the bell times would make it so the current 373 bus routes would decrease to about 325 routes. The district currently has 339 drivers. Board members said this would make it so there are enough drivers for the number of routes. They also added that if a bus driver takes PTO or calls in sick, there are about 32 available drivers to fill that gap.
Here's a list of which schools will see changes:
Elementary Schools moving from 8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. include:
- Campbell Park
- Fairmount Park
- Gulfport Montessori
- Lakewood
- Maximo
- Melrose
- Sandy Lane
Elementary Schools moving from 7:35 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. to 8:45 a.m. - 2:55 p.m. include:
- Azalea
- Sawgrass Lake
James B. Sanderlin K-8 is also moving from 8:55 a.m. - 3:05 p.m. to 9:25 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.
Perkins Elementary is moving from 8:45 a.m. - 2:55 p.m. to 9:15 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.
Clearwater Intermediate is moving from 9:40 a.m. - 4:10 p.m. to 9:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Some parents at these impacted schools shared concerns about how they will get their kids to school later when they have strict work schedules.
“Issues finding childcare, even aftercare, now some will have to find before care, and the cost that comes with that," one Pinellas County parent, Julia Sharp, said. Sharp explained she is lucky enough to have a flexible work schedule, but not all impacted parents are that fortunate.
District leaders also mentioned there is a new automatic GPS notification system that will alert parents if their child's bus is late.
Pinellas is not the only district facing a school bus driver shortage. Back in January, Pasco County Schools started some classes earlier and others later to ensure kids could get to school on time. The district was short dozens of drivers so kids were chronically late. Now, drivers have a three-hour window to run four routes instead of three routes over the course of two hours.
School officials say they'll make tweaks and reevaluate over the summer.
Across the country, school districts are re-evaluating their start times. That's because most school districts start before 8:30 am. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends middle and high schools start later than that to give kids the opportunity to get the sleep that they need, which is a minimum of 8 hours.
Studies show if they're well-rested, students will do better in class too. They pay attention more and get better grades.
The Sleep Foundation points out that when kids are not getting enough sleep, it increases the likelihood they take part in risky behavior like bullying or fighting. It also puts them at a higher risk for things like a sports-related injury or getting into a car accident.