School start times under scrutiny amid permanent daylight saving time debate

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 students would be going to school in the dark unless the schools change their start times.” 

“It boils down to a lack of political will, and it’s enormously, enormously difficult to run schools at times that are safe and allow kids to get healthy sleep. And so, this idea that we might have to move them even later is a daunting prospect. We do know that it can be done when it needs to be done, and maybe a switch to DST would wake people up and make them realize that this matters,” she added. 

While the average high school start time is a little after 8 a.m., many schools start around 7:30 a.m. In Florida, some start........

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