At least four more New Jersey school districts will dismiss students early Monday due to safety concerns during the solar eclipse.
School district leaders said they are worried students will look at the sun without protective glasses or devices and seriously damage their eyes. Some also said they are concerned about traffic dangers at dismissal time when drivers may be distracted by the eclipse.
Shore Regional High School District in Monmouth County recently announced it will dismiss students early on Monday, along with the Pennsauken and Cherry Hill school districts in Camden County and Burlington Township in Burlington County.
They join the Livingston school district in Essex County, which previously announced it will have an early dismissal before the eclipse.
In a letter sent home on Wednesday, Pennsauken Superintendent Ronnie Tarchichi announced a half day.
“The safety of our students and staff is our primary concern,” Tarchichi said. He asked families to “enjoy this historic event and be safe.”
Kwame Morton, the acting superintendent of Cherry Hill Public Schools, announced an early dismissal in letter sent home Thursday.
“We have had extensive discussion regarding the risk of serious eye damage from looking at the sun during an eclipse without proper eye protection,” Morton wrote.
Shore Regional High School District, based in Long Branch, will close at 1:30 p.m. “to ensure the safety of our student drivers and to minimize any disruption during dismissal,” according to a letter Superintendent Lisa J. English sent Thursday.
Burlington Township public schools will have an early dismissal Monday, according to Patch.com.
Livingston public schools in Essex County opted for an early dismissal in a letter sent to families March 6.
The decision to close schools early got mixed reviews among some parents on social media.
One parent in Livingston said the early dismissal right after spring break seemed unnecessary and the eclipse “seems like a great science lesson rather than an excuse to send kids home early.”
Other school districts are celebrating the eclipse with supervised activities, including assemblies at the East Brunswick School District and a viewing event open to parents at the Rockaway Valley School in Boonton Township in Morris County.
In New Jersey, the sun will be 90% blocked by the moon at about 3:25 p.m., according to TimeAndDate.com. Parts of the moon’s shadow will cover the sun from 2:09 p.m. to 4:35 p.m.
NASA warned the public not to look at the eclipse without special safety glasses, to avoid eye damage. The agency also warned looking at the sun through “a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.”
Many school districts in the section of upstate New York where there will be a total eclipse on April 8 are closing for the day due to traffic concerns and the expected presence of large numbers of tourists.
Stories by Tina Kelley
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Tina Kelley may be reached at tkelley@njadvancemedia.com.
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