The movement to make daylight saving time permanent has hit a formidable obstacle: the nation's schools. Despite backing from President Trump, a bipartisan House vote, and nearly 20 states ready to abandon the clock changes, the Senate remains hesitant, primarily due to the potential impact on education and student well-being.
Sunrises after 8 a.m. are a dealbreaker for many, including sleep experts who warn of adverse health effects for students and teachers, as most schools start before that hour. Jessica Hamilton, an associate professor at Rutgers University's psychology department, argues that lawmakers are missing the mark. "I think lawmakers are right to be concerned about artificially shifting our clocks and sleep schedules twice a year, but they have it wrong. We need to be making standard time permanent and not daylight savings time," she said. Hamilton stressed the importance of aligning our internal clocks with the sun, adding that permanent daylight saving time "is likely to harm the health and well-being of young people and adults."
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 in July by a 308-117 vote, and 19 states have enacted laws to adopt permanent daylight saving time should Congress approve. Public opinion also leans in favor, with roughly half of Americans supporting the change, according to an Economist/YouGov poll. However, senators are not convinced, pointing to risks for education and agriculture.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) expressed uncertainty, saying, "I'm undecided as to what I would do because I just don't have a good feel for the heavy impacts on agriculture and school systems in West Virginia, but I don't want to do something that would endanger the safety of our children as they're going to school or coming home from school." Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) echoed similar concerns, noting that in parts of the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states, "the sun wouldn't be up until 9, 9:30, almost 10 o'clock in some cases," making it dangerous for kids walking or biking to school or waiting at bus stops.
Research links permanent daylight saving time to disrupted circadian rhythms, poorer academic performance, and riskier commutes on dark winter mornings. Adolescents, in particular, have natural sleep-wake cycles that keep them up later, making early school start times already challenging. Karin Johnson, chair of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's advocacy committee, explained that teens are especially vulnerable: "It's very easy for them to stay up late and sleep in late, and that's because of a change in circadian rhythm patterns. When they get too much light at night and not enough light in the morning, that pattern gets even worse."
Sleep deprivation among students can lead to dangerous driving, lower test scores, and exacerbate the teen mental health crisis. A study suggested that the economy could gain $8.6 billion by reducing sleep-deprivation-related mistakes if school start times were pushed to 8:30 a.m. or later and daylight saving time was eliminated. Zane Miller, president of the National Youth Rights Association, sees permanent daylight saving time as an opportunity to reconsider school schedules: "I feel like permanent daylight savings time should be an excuse to make it to where we start looking at these horrendously early school start times and start asking these questions about maybe we should be moving school start times to be later in general."
Supporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that evening daylight benefits the economy and public well-being. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said, "It isn't just a nuisance — changing our clocks also has a very real impact on our economy, our health, and our happiness. More sun means more fun, so let's pass the Sunshine Protection Act." However, school administrators like Kurt Seiler, principal of Independence High School in Kansas, say later starts are impractical. Seiler noted that his school moved its start time from 8:05 to 7:45 to accommodate after-school sports and activities. Pushing the start time later would mean students missing instructional time, he said: "If we push that back to an 8:45 start time, now our kids aren't getting out of school until 4:15. Activities leave most days before 3:15, 3:30, and so now you're missing out on a ton of instructional time."
Advocates for permanent standard time counter that it better aligns with our biology, improving sleep and learning. The debate remains unresolved, with the Senate's concerns about student safety and health likely to keep the issue in limbo. As the Senate returns, the push for permanent daylight saving time faces an uphill battle, with schools and agriculture at the center of the opposition.
