(Seguin) — The Seguin ISD is following in the footsteps of other area school districts who have made the decision to cancel classes on April 8 in observance of the historic solar eclipse event.
The district on Monday sent out a letter explaining its decision to parents.
Tanisha Hearn, the communications specialist for the Seguin ISD, says the top factor was safety.
“We’ve been monitoring the requests for absences from our staff and that was a big concern just to protect the safety of the students on our campuses that it seemed like it was the best decision to move in the direction that we did,” said Hearn.
The district also noted that there were enough “minutes allotted in the calendar that students will not need to make up the day later in the semester.”
Over the last few weeks, other school districts especially those along the solar eclipse viewing line, stated that an influx of traffic and people coming into the area to view the eclipse would not only affect regular school traffic and bus schedules but it could impact the response time should there be an emergency at one of their campuses.
While the Seguin ISD also realizes the concerns “surrounding transportation and attendance,” Hearn says the district’s priorities are also aligned with what it believes will be an “awe-inspiring experience.”
“We know it’s an historical event and we want people to be able to take the opportunity to learn and enjoy this away from all of the chaos that may (happen) during that day because of traffic and people trying to enjoy and observe,” said Hearn.
In its communication with parents, the district also included a link to NASA and other resources, so that all families could better understand the phenomenon and learn how to safely witness it firsthand.
The moon will cast a shadow across this area that day, creating a total solar eclipse. It will create darkness during the day, and if you have special eclipse glasses, you can see the elusive corona of the sun. The special glasses have a filter that will allow you to look directly at the sun. Experts stress that you should not look directly into the sun without the proper glasses. The glasses are being sold by local retailers, and they are also available at retails shops online.
There’s been a lot of talk about the best viewing being in places like the city of Boerne, but Seguin’s view should be stunning as well for those who’ve taken the proper safety steps. Seguin is in the path of totality. It’s viewing is described as a partial eclipse, but the view, in Seguin, will produce 99.1 percent of a total eclipse. That means you will be able to get nearly the full-effect of the total eclipse right here at home.
With Seguin schools now being closed on Monday, April 8, families are again encouraged to find the right gear to safely view the eclipse and enjoy this historic moment. The eclipse is expected to start around 12:15 p.m. on Monday, April 8, with the total eclipse occurring around 1:30 that afternoon. The eclipse from start to finish should take about two hours and 41 minutes.