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Solar eclipse sparks nationwide debate for schools: Stay home or come to class?

The impending 2017 solar eclipse left schools around the country debating whether they should stay open or close for the day, considering safety.
solar eclipse

The impending 2017 solar eclipse left schools around the country debating whether they should stay open or close for the day, considering safety.

Leaders of at least one district in Illinois, where the Great American Solar Eclipse will last the longest, decided to close their doors on Monday, August 21st, according to the Washington Post.

Edwardsville District 7, in southern Illinois, decided to close their doors that day, according to a statement from Superintendent Dr. Lynda C. Andre.  In the statement she compares the eclipse to snowy, icy, or dangerously cold days, noting that it “presents a hazard to students if they cannot be kept indoors during the entire time of exposure of almost three hours.”

Read More: Map shows how much of the Great American Eclipse you will be able to see

A couple of school districts in Tennessee had conflicting arguments of why they should stay open or closed. One district decided to close, declaring an “inclement weather day,” but is providing students with “Family Science Information” packets.  The other decided to stay open, feeling that students would have less supervision if left home that day.  Despite the opposing opinions, both districts have purchased solar viewing glasses for each student.

Related:

Experts Explain the Dos and Don’ts For Monday’s Eclipse

20 seconds ‘all it took’: Oregon man left partially blind by 1963 eclipse

How Monday’s eclipse will affect your pet

 

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