Recent changes to school start and end times in Florida may have unintended consequences for local businesses that are organized around current student schedules.
Under the Safe Start initiative approved by the Lee County School District, new bell times set to begin in the 2025–2026 school year will significantly alter both morning and afternoon routines for students and families.
Elementary students, who currently finish school at 2 p.m., will instead be dismissed at 3:10 p.m. Middle schoolers, currently released at 3 p.m., will be dismissed at 4:15 p.m. These changes are intended to support student well-being, but they pose operational and financial challenges for after-school programs such as Star Taekwondo & Wellness Center in Fort Myers.
According to Grand Master Ingrid Ewing, the center currently transports students from 14 local schools using a fleet of vans. The staggered dismissal times allow the center to teach taekwondo lessons to both elementary and middle school students by making three trips daily. With the new schedule, all students would be released around the same time, complicating transportation logistics and possibly reducing the number of children the center can serve.
“There are a lot of things we are exploring and being creative about, because we care so much about all of our students,” Ewing said. She added that the change may require investing in additional vehicles and staff, with each van costing at least $35,000. “Do we invest in a whole other set of hands because everyone’s got to go out at the exact same time?” Ewing said.
Parents have also raised concerns. Some indicated they may no longer need after-school care if they can leave work early enough to pick up their children themselves. Additionally, changes to school start times — up to 8:40 a.m. for elementary students and 9:45 a.m. for middle schoolers — could create new demand for before-school care, leading to increased costs for families and additional staffing needs for care providers.
As the legislative session nears its end, some Florida lawmakers are seeking to reverse or amend the policy. Until then, after-school businesses like Star Taekwondo are left preparing for a potentially costly transition.
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