A school district in Ohio has canceled classes on Monday over concerns about students damaging their eyes while looking at the solar eclipse.
The superintendent of Jefferson Area Local Schools said Thursday that the eclipse could pose a risk to students who view it even inadvertently while at school or on the bus ride home.
The day will be used as a service day for faculty and staff.
Some school districts have cancelled classes for the entire day or are keeping kids inside
There is real worry that children may look at the sun without proper eye protection, unlike this sensible little girl wearing safety glasses
Jefferson is about 60 miles northeast of Cleveland. The area will see a partial solar eclipse from about 1pm to 4pm Monday.
Similar decisions have been made in other parts of the country. One Pennsylvania school district says children won’t be let outside for recess during the solar eclipse because of the potential harm to students who look at the sun.
The Cumberland Valley School District sent a letter to parents Monday saying the decision was made after consulting the district’s physician.
The letter says district officials recognize that the opportunity to view an eclipse is rare, but the safety of students is more important.
In Illinois, students in Edwardsville District 7 started their new school year last Tuesday, have been told to stay at home all day Monday because the eclipse is expected to take place around the time school normally ends.
A number of school districts said the same thing: that the eclipse would be at its peak around the time of dismissal in the afternoon, and teachers do not want to take the risk of having children watch it without proper eye protection.
[Source”cnbc”]