Citing safety, some school districts close for April 8 eclipse
Less than a month before a rare solar eclipse darkens the sky over Central Texas on April 8, several school districts have reversed course and will now close their schools for the astronomical event.
Districts’ leaders have cited concerns about the expected strain on public resources, high traffic and delayed emergency response as local government officials predict thousands of tourists might flood the Austin area to watch the eclipse.
Central Texas, including Blanco, Burnet and western Travis counties, will be within the eclipse’s path of totality – the 100-mile-wide band that will experience total darkness for the longest time, about 4.5 minutes.
In a total solar eclipse, the moon moves in front of the sun, blocking its light. An eclipse similar to the one happening April 8 won’t pass over the United States for another 20 years, and that viewing band won’t be as wide as the one with next month’s eclipse.
Schools closing for total solar eclipse in Central Texas
The Hays school district had planned to open April 8 and bought enough eclipse viewing glasses for every student and staff member to use, district spokesman Tim Savoy said.
Last week, the district announced it would instead close that day at the request of county and emergency management officials.
“The Central Texas area is expected to see a large influx of eclipse tourism and that could put a strain on emergency response personnel who will be needed to assist with traffic control and other crowd management in parts of our county,” Savoy said in a statement.
School buses and student drop-offs and pick-ups could congest local roads, which are likely to see high tourist traffic, and emergency response to any issues at a school could be delayed,
according to the district.
On Friday, Travis County declared a state of disaster ahead of the eclipse, a move largely made to give officials more power to get information on large gatherings April 8, officials said.
That decision also prompted the Del Valle school district – which had previously planned to remain open – to close its campuses for the eclipse.
“While the district originally planned to make the eclipse an oncampus learning opportunity, closing the district is in the best interest of students, teachers, and families,” the district said.
The Manor and Lake Travis school districts also announced last week they will close April 8, citing concerns that unusually high tourism could overtax local resources and public infrastructure that day.
Eclipse traffic in Austin a concern
The expected crowd in Central Texas will likely rival that of a Formula 1 race car event weekend, city of Austin spokesman David Wiechmann said.
While the tourism might fall within the scope of other events in Austin, communities to the west of the city aren't used to these types of crowds, he said.
Because high vehicular traffic is expected, residents should carpool or avoid unnecessary travel to keep the roads as clear as possible, he said.
School districts staying open
Many Austin area districts plan to remain open for the celestial phenomenon.
Students at Austin district schools will get viewing glasses for the eclipse. Other districts – such as Georgetown, Leander and Hutto – also plan to remain open and turn the day into a learning opportunity.
Districts that will close as well as those that remain open all plan to create activities to teach students about eclipses leading up to April 8.
Central Texas school districts that plan to close April 8 include Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Hays, Lago Vista, Lake Travis and Manor.