Pinellas Schools Consider Early Start Times

0:00Pinellas County Schools in Florida might shake up start times for thousands of high school kids and hundreds of middle schoolers come August pending. A school board vote on Tuesday. The big move hits Largo Middle School hardest, pushing their 9.40 a.m. start to 7.25 a.m. to sync with nearby Largo High. That high school shifts just 10 minutes later to 7.35 a.m. while St. Pete and Dunedin Highs go to 7.45 a.m. This tweak aims to streamline buses since the schools stay close together, letting one route handle both. The district runs 304 bus routes now, and kids under 2 miles away don't qualify for rides anyway. It's the third pair like this, East Lake High and Middle sync 3 years back, same for Lakewood High and Bay Point Middle. Parents at Largo Middle are speaking out, worried about early dismissals around 2 p.m. leaving preteens unsupervised. One mom, Kayla Smith, says her daughter walks since she lives close, missing up her work schedule as she'll need to pick up earlier and juggle.

1:03Drop-offs. Folks raise childcare headaches at a recent workshop. District Transportation Chief, T. Mark Hagewood, says combining these saves a full bus lot, eyeing future shifts to get high schools closer to 8. A.m. starts. They've looped in the local YMCA for after-school options to ease the load. Board members vote Tuesday, so keep an eye on how this lands for families balancing buses, bells, and daily grinds. Tip obey news today, powered by AI bringing you Wood Matters. I'm Corey with The Story.