ALT The Hill School start times under scrutiny amid permanent daylight saving time debate by Lexi Lonas Cochran 10/14/26 6:00 AM ET School start times have taken center stage in the fight surrounding permanent daylight saving time. Senators concerned about kids walking to school in the dark are holding the line against legislation — passed by the House and vocally backed by President Trump — that would halt the semiannual clock-changing. And while those who want permanent daylight saving time (DST) say schools should just start later, school officials and even some advocates for pushing class times back acknowledge a large number of obstacles prevent hearing that first bell even an hour later. “I think it gets lost that schools already start incredibly early, and kids are already going to school in the dark. … It’s a huge problem,” said Terra Ziporyn Snider, executive director and co-founder of Start School Later. “If we went to permanent daylight saving time, then even more…

ALT Two photos this morning from East Hampton, New York. At 6:30am EDT, the sky is dark (and we see a school bus). At 6:30am EST (7:30am EDT), the sky is bright.

ALT Newspaper clipping from October 22, 1985. Headline “Battle Over Daylight – House argues when sun will rise and set”.

ALT Title reads “Standard Time is closer to nature”. Three clocks are shown, one for Bismarck mean solar time (set to 12:00), one for Central Standard Time (set to 12:43), one for Central Daylight Time (set to 1:43). Subtitle reads “Alignment to solar time naturally benefits health, safety, education, economy.”

ALT University of Colorado Boulder CU Boulder Today Why permanent standard time is the healthiest choice Published: 8/12/2026 By Lisa Marshall Spring forward. Fall back. For 60 years, most of the U.S. has engaged in this biannual clock-changing ritual, much to the chagrin of critics who have argued that it’s confusing, outdated and dangerous. The Sunshine Protection Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July, would end this practice, enabling states to stick with daylight saving time (DST) year-round. Another recently introduced proposal, the Sunshine for our Kids Act, calls for the opposite: making standard time—which currently goes from November to March—the permanent national default. This proposal would still allow states to pass laws opting into permanent daylight saving time (pDST). Under permanent standard time (pST), our winters would stay the same. But in the summer, the sun would rise and set earlier. For instance, in Denver, sunrise in June would occur…