Lee County Schools Introduces Safe Start Initiative

News Summary

Lee County Schools is implementing significant changes to school start times to address persistent delays in school bus transportation. Under the Safe Start Initiative, elementary schools will begin at 8:40 a.m., providing 42 additional hours of instruction per year. This adjustment responds to concerns over transportation reliability and aims to enhance student achievement. The district plans to consolidate school schedules, address bus driver shortages, and monitor the initiative’s effectiveness as they transition from a four-tier to a three-tier bus system.

Fort Myers, Florida – In an effort to tackle persistent delays in school bus transportation and enhance student achievement, Lee County Schools will implement significant changes to school start times as part of the Safe Start Initiative. Beginning with the upcoming school year, elementary schools will shift their starting time to 8:40 a.m., nearly an hour later than the previous schedule. Meanwhile, middle and high schools will experience minimal changes to their start times.

These changes are a response to last year’s reports indicating that 8,000 students regularly missed first period due to late buses, and 18,000 students were returned home long after the school day had ended. Parents have expressed growing concerns regarding the reliability of the transportation system in the district.

For families adapting to the new schedule, the adjustments may have financial implications. One parent, Carole Dean, who has three children in different schools, is facing additional childcare costs estimated at $125 per week due to the later start times. Another parent, Cary Colon, has voiced frustrations over her older children not being picked up by the bus regularly, raising questions about the effectiveness of Lee County Transportation.

The district’s strategy includes consolidating school start times to reduce transportation issues. A noted contributing factor to the infamous delays is a shortage of bus drivers, which has led to disruptions in routes and tardy arrivals. In response, Lee County Schools has organized a bus driver job fair and is considering schedule modifications to streamline transportation routes. Additionally, the district is offering free training for prospective drivers who lack a commercial license, and full-time positions come with benefits and flexible working hours.

Despite these efforts, it is important to note that delays in transportation may persist until more drivers are onboarded, even after the new schedule is instructed. The Safe Start Initiative was approved to transition Lee County from a four-tier to a three-tier bus system, in hopes of increasing efficiency and enhancing safety.

As part of the schedule alterations, high school class times will extend to 49 minutes, while all schools will adopt a standardized 30-minute lunch period. Consequently, high school students will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m., providing approximately 42 additional hours of instruction per year.

The initiative was developed based on feedback collected from various stakeholders, including principals, staff, and community members at public meetings. David Newlan, Chief of Safety, noted the importance of synchronizing pick-up and drop-off times with existing schedules amid the prevailing driver shortage. The anticipated outcome of these changes is a reduction in wait times at bus stops and an improvement in the overall learning environment for students.

Though these changes to starting times will not have an immediate financial impact, they may influence the transportation budget for the fiscal year 2026. The district plans to provide families with regular updates to facilitate a smooth transition to the new schedule.

School leadership is committed to closely monitoring the implementation of the Safe Start Initiative and is prepared to make further adjustments as necessary once the new system is operational.

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Additional Resources

• Wink News: Lee County School District Offers Free Training to Tackle Ongoing Bus Driver Shortage
• Fox 4 Now: Lee County School Might Start/End at Different Time Next Year
• Gulfshore Business: Lee County School District to Host Transportation Job Fair
• News Press: New Bus Route Bell Schedules Passed for Lee County Schools
• Captiva Sanibel: School Board Approves New Bell Times