St. Johns County School Board approves new class hours for next school year

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County School Board has approved a change in class hours for next school year that will bring change for all students, parents and teachers.

The biggest impact will be in the middle schools, which will start 20 minutes earlier and dismiss 10 minutes earlier (7:30 a.m. start; 1:50 p.m. dismissal).

Elementary schools and K-8 schools will start and end the day five minutes earlier (8:25 a.m. start; 2:45 p.m. dismissal).

High schools will start and end the day five minutes later (9:20 a.m. start; 3:50 p.m. dismissal).

Superintendent Tim Forson said rapid growth over the past decade has led to significantly longer transit times to and from school, as well as near continuous school construction and expansion.

In the 2017-2018 school year the district began reviewing school arrival and dismissal operations which included a working group of educators, administrators and subject matter experts. Between October of last year and this February the working group developed and reviewed several options, which led to the recommendations that were approved Tuesday.