(Toronto) The Toronto District School Board will vote this Wednesday on whether it should revise its school calendar to have students stay home on April 8, the day a rare total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the Canada.
If the school board votes in favor of the revision, it will join at least six other school boards in Ontario, as well as two school service centers in Quebec, which have already notified parents that classes would be canceled on April 8.
Looking directly at the sun during the eclipse, without proper protection, can lead to serious problems such as partial or complete loss of vision. Traffic safety concerns could also arise as thousands of children return home at the end of the day in temporary darkness.
The total eclipse is expected to be first observed in Mexico around 11:07 a.m. Pacific Time, when the Moon will move between Earth and the sun, casting a partial or full shadow. The eclipse will then be visible in the United States before moving towards southern Ontario, then southern Quebec, northern New Brunswick, western Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton in Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland for about two hours, around the same time many children in Canada get out of school.
Some areas can expect complete darkness for about four minutes by mid-afternoon.
The DD Mélissa Généreux, spokesperson for Public Health in Estrie, one of the regions where the eclipse will be total, indicates that the authorities are leaving the choice of whether or not to close schools. However, she stresses the need for adequate adult supervision to ensure children view the eclipse safely, including on school buses.
She said these guidelines include ensuring children wear protective eyewear or watch the event indirectly through the use of “eclipse boxes”, and keeping a special eye out for those who are having difficulty to follow the instructions.
In New Brunswick, the province said schools could have an early dismissal time to allow students to arrive at their destination safely before the eclipse begins.
In Quebec, the last total solar eclipse occurred in 1972 and after that of April 8, the next one will not take place until 2106. In the meantime, however, there will be partial solar eclipses in Canada, just like total and partial lunar eclipses.