Several school districts have announced a closure for all of their schools on a seemingly random April day in 2024. Monday, April 8, 2024, is the exact date in question. Now why are they shutting down for the day? Ohio is set to have a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse going over much of the state on this date. This eclipse is the first of its kind to hit Ohio since 1806. It is expected to be the last anyone can see in the continental United States until 2044.
This solar eclipse is a total eclipse (of the sun, not the heart).
A total eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon in which the moon goes between the sun and Earth and completely blocks the light of the sun. It rarely occurs, and especially rarely occurs in such a way in which the epicenter for best viewing is in Ohio. The eclipse will actually start for best viewing in Indiana then work its way over to Cleveland and other parts of Ohio.
The eclipse will only have a few minutes of good viewing in each area, but it will be present for a few hours. Currently, experts expect the complete, total eclipse to be seen in areas of Hamilton County, Butler County, and Warren County. The rest of Ohio is expected to have approximately 95% sun coverage.
They are expecting a lot of travel to the counties set to experience the complete eclipse.
Local authorities issued warnings to school districts and municipalities of the counties with the total eclipse viewing, alerting them of the significant expected increase in travelers. They specifically were told that there would be “extreme demands and stresses on local infrastructure and services.” To accommodate the fact that the cities will be flooded with more people than normally and Ohioans own interest in viewing the eclipse, school districts decided to close down for the day. Primarily districts in the three counties expected to have the best views announced the closure, but districts in other parts of the state are expected to be closed down as well.
The Hamilton Schools Superintendent, Mike Holbrook, announced the closure of schools in the district via a message sent to parents. He explained that they are expecting the population in their area (which is close to the eclipse’s expected center line) to triple or even quadruple. In this message he also included that students will all be given solar eclipse glasses before the event so that they can all safely partake in the experience.
