LARGO, Fla. — The Pinellas County School Board has voted to change start times at some schools.
The board voted unanimously (7-0) to move up start times for Pinellas High Innovation (formerly Clearwater Intermediate) and East Lake Middle to 7: 25 a.m. and Bay Point Middle to 7:15 a.m.
All three schools currently begin at either 9:15 a.m. or 9:40 a.m.
What You Need To Know
- Pinellas School Board votes to change start times at 3 schools
- Times moved up about two hours at Pinellas High Innovation (formerly Clearwater Intermediate) and East Lake Middle to 7: 25 a.m. and Bay Point Middle to 7:15 a.m.
- Changes come after the district’s transportation department has struggled in recent years
Under the new times, the Pinellas High school day will run from 7:25 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. Bay Point will run from 7:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and East Lake will start at 7:25 a.m. and release students at 1:55 p.m.
The changes come after the district’s transportation department has struggled in recent years.
The department has been short a number of bus drivers and officials said they believe combining routes at schools that are close together could help operations run more smoothly.
Proposed changes also include the bus stop model for school choice programs. What was 383 stops would be reduced to about 30 under the new plan.
Some opponents to the plan spoke out at the school board meeting Tuesday.
The school board is expected to finalize the changes by July 1 with the changes becoming official in the fall.