Schools fret over letting kids watch the eclipse

Monday’s solar eclipse is being billed nationally as “the mostwatched solar eclipse in history.”

But some Arizona schools are banning outside activities that morning over fears students will look at the sun and damage their eyes.

The Scottsdale Unified School District informed parents that schools will have no outdoor activities between 9 a.m. and noon while the eclipse is occurring. That means no outdoor lunch, recess or physical education during that time, the district said on its website.

A note on the dis-

More online: Go to azcentral.com to get tips for watching the eclipse.

trict’s website says, “While the eclipse is an excellent educational opportunity, it also raises concerns about safety.

“Scientists have issued repeated warnings that it’s unsafe to look at the sun during the solar eclipse without special eclipse glasses. Even dark sunglasses don’t provide enough protection.”

Arizona won’t see a total solar eclipse on Monday, unlike many states in the center of the country. In Arizona, about two-thirds of the sun will be covered at the peak, which will happen at 10:33 a.m. But even looking at a partial eclipse can injure the naked eye.

Dysart Unified and Cartwright school districts also plan to err on the side of caution and keep elementary students inside during the eclipse, citing NASA safety guidelines.

Dysart spokesman Zachary Fountain said all classrooms would be given access to the NASA livestream.

“It’s a great learning opportunity,” he said. “It just needs to be done the right way.”

Cartwright Superintendent Jacob Chavez wrote in a letter to parents that the district’s schools will operate on a “rainy day” schedule to minimize the risk of exposure and injury to the eyes of students and staff.

Other schools, though, are embracing the rare opportunity. Gilbert Public Schools, for example, plans to provide solar glasses to elementary students.

The Deer Valley and Peoria school districts have given teachers safety guidelines but will let schools and teachers decide whether to allow students outside during the eclipse.

Christine Rowlan, a teacher at Canyon Springs School in Anthem, raised $400 through GoFundMe to buy 1,000 solar glasses for the solar eclipse.

Rowlan said the eclipse will be a learning experience.

“I just wanted them to have an experience with science that’s real,” she said. “The eclipse is giving them that real experience of our universe and how the planets work, something that they might not ever experience again in their lifetime.”