Permanent daylight saving time? Schools and students would suffer, experts say

A major hurdle stands in the way of permanent daylight saving time: schools.

Despite momentum from the White House , lawmakers in the lower chamber and nearly 20 states to stop switching the clocks, the Senate does not seem ready to make the leap — largely because of how schools would be affected by the change.

Sunrise coming after 8 a.m. is an unattractive option for many, including sleep experts who warn of the health implications for both students and educators because most schools begin the day earlier than that.

“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,” said Jessica Hamilton, an associate professor in Rutgers University’s psychology department.

“So, we really need to be aligning our clocks and our bodies to the sun, which promotes our health, and making a permanent daylight savings time actually is likely to harm the health and well-being of young people and adults,” Hamilton added.

President Trump has personally pushed for lawmakers to pass a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across the country.

The House in July passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 in a 308-117 vote. Nineteen states are also ready for the change, passing laws to make daylight saving time permanent if it gets approved by Congress.

Around half of Americans also support permanent daylight saving time, according to an Economist/YouGov poll .

But senators are not sold, pointing specifically to risks to education and agriculture.

“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,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

Capito isn’t alone in the sentiment, with the issue dividing the dividing the Senate GOP against Trump.

“There are places throughout the Midwest and the Rocky Mountain states that wouldn’t see the sun until 9, 9:30, almost 10 o’clock in some cases,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said. “That would be very dangerous, especially for kids who are walking to school, biking to school, being left at bus stops.”

Research has linked permanent daylight saving time with circadian rhythm disruption, worse student performance and more dangerous conditions getting to school during what would be dark winter mornings.

Students, especially in high school, have circadian rhythms that keep them up later, making the current start times already difficult enough for their bodies.

“A lot of people, especially teens, 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. And so, what that means is when they get too much light at night and not enough light in the morning, that pattern gets even worse, making it harder for them to fall asleep on time and harder to get up to school on time,” said Karin Johnson, chair of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time and member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s advocacy committee.

Student sleep deprivation, experts say, can harm their ability to drive, contribute to lower test scores and add to the teen mental health crisis.

One study found the economy could add $8.6 billion by eliminating mistakes caused by sleep deprivation if school start times were 8:30 a.m. or later and daylight saving time was eliminated.

“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, all across the board, to go along with the permanent day of savings time,” said Zane Miller, president of the National Youth Rights Association.

Those against permanent standard time point to the loss of daylight hours in evenings affecting the economy negatively — and the reality that sunrise could come before 5 a.m. in some parts of the country in the summer.

“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, which would make for brighter days year-round,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Between school sports and other extracurricular activities, some educators say it is impossible to start their day any later.

“We moved our start time from 8:05 up to 7:45 because we have so many sports and activities at the end of the day that kids were leaving the building and missing out on a lot of instructional time … 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 for our kids, and that’s just that’s not feasible,” said Kurt Seiler, principal of Independence High School in Kansas.

“It’s not something we would be able to do,” Seiler added.

But studies have shown permanent standard time helps improve sleep and aligns the body’s circadian rhythm better, potentially leading to better learning and retention.

“We keep talking about the teen mental health crisis, and we are concerned about teens’ mental health. And so, ensuring that … we’re setting up a system for them that can support their mental health, such as ensuring that they’re getting aligned sleep and aligned rhythms, is something we can do,” Hamilton said. “But it should be permanent standard time, not permanent daylight savings time.”