Every year, local officials and members of the community have an opportunity to share ideas with Senator Ingoglia and Representative Grow about what items are important to our community.

During the January School Board Meeting, the Board voted to have the following as our legislative priorities. Both School Board Chair Sandy Counts and I will provide this information to our representatives:

Rescind the upcoming 2026-2027 mandatory school start times
Request appropriations for a public safety training annex to include an indoor firing range
Provide funding to mitigate the financial impact of hurricane disasters
Increase school transportation funding
Continue funding for improvements to the Academy of Health Careers

While these school board priorities are important, the item I am most concerned about as Superintendent of Schools is the upcoming 2026-2027 mandatory school start times. Under the provisions of the new law (HB 733), middle schools will be required to start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

The new start times will go into effect in August of the 2026-2027 academic school year. Currently, our high schools and middle schools begin at 7:50 a.m. and elementary schools at 9:20 a.m.

What are some potential effects? One concern is that elementary students may need to start school earlier than the current 9:20 a.m. start time, which could result in more elementary children waiting for buses in the dark.

Another issue is that an earlier start time would also mean an earlier dismissal for elementary students. This raises concerns about how working parents would handle picking up their children or arranging care for the rest of the day.

A third concern is later start times for high school students would push sports and extracurricular activities further into the afternoon. Practices would end later, games would conclude later, and students would arrive home later in the evening. This could impact students' ability to complete homework, get sufficient rest, or participate in other evening commitments, potentially affecting their overall well-being and academic performance.

In preparation for the change in the law, the Citrus County School District is working to develop a comprehensive plan to address transportation, cafeteria services, student and faculty schedules, and athletics. I’ve tasked our team leaders to look at ways to ease this transition. My goal is to make sure our community has all the information about this new law because of its potential effect on families.

The solution lies in reversing the mandatory start times and empowering those most affected—Citrus County families—to have a say in determining the best course of action for the community's needs. That is why the need to rescind the upcoming 2026- 2027 mandatory school start times is my top priority this legislative session.

Proudly Serving –

Dr. Scott Hebert

Superintendent of Schools, Citrus County

Citrus County School District"Where learning is the expectation and caring is the commitment."

Message from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott Hebert

Citrus County School District

Citrus County School District
"Where learning is the expectation and caring is the commitment."