Several New York school districts will be letting students out early or stay home altogether on Monday due to the upcoming solar eclipse.
With 29 out of the state’s 62 counties falling within the historic eclipse’s path of totality — where the sun will be completely blocked by the moon — classes are being canceled so kids can enjoy the event as well as avoid potential safety hazards.
The state’s third largest public school district, in the city of Buffalo, has told both students and teachers to not come to class so they can see the solar event, which is predicted to peak at 3:18 p.m., according to the New York Post.
When students would normally be catching their school busses to return home, the city will be covered in darkness.
Most surrounding districts have also announced closures or early releases, WGRZ reports.
Other than just giving kids and staff a nice day off to see the last total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. until 2044, district officials have said that they want to avoid injury and liability.
“Another largely unspoken factor is that schools want to avoid the liability of having students incur vision damage by staring at the astronomical event without protective eyewear on school property, according to a former state educator,” the Post reported.
The Syracuse City School District will also cancel classes on Monday, citing potential eye damage.
“Given the timing of the event and the potential safety hazards it could pose to students and staff, the District is proposing an update to the calendar,” the district said in a statement obtained by WSTM.
“The biggest safety hazard is just really making sure that you’re not staring at the sun when that eclipse is happening,” spokeswoman Amanda Hull said. “It can really do permanent damage to your eyes, and we don’t want that to happen to any of our students or our staff.”
Johnsburg Central Schools will release students early at 12:30 p.m. with free protective glasses to help mitigate those concerns.
The state is also preparing for massive traffic jams as tourists flock to hotspots in the Adirondack Mountains for a good view of the eclipse.
“I’ve got to be honest with you. I’m scared as hell,” said Tupper Lake Town Supervisor Rick Datolla to the Adirondack Explorer.
With the majority of the state’s largest school districts taking action, the largest one — New York City Public Schools — has not made any plans, despite “concerns from parents” cited by the Post.
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