We need a 1.2.4 patch. From what I understand, zombies and skeletons can survive direct sunlight while standing in tallgrass and flowers. Something about them reducing light at the base where the thing stands. I know this is true, because on Khorde's server, a skeleton found me while I was trying to make stuff. I quickly made a hole in the side a small hill, and waited for daytime. When day came, I kept hitting it in the legs away from the hill, but it wasn't burning. After like three hits, it was just standing still too far for me to hit camping me in loving daylight. I believe it was staying in the tall grass.
The point being, if there isn't a 1.2.4 patch, could you find a mod that fixes this for your server?