Solar Eclipse School Closures Announced in These States

Hundreds of schools are set to close over safety fears during a solar eclipse next month, which will plunge several states into darkness.

The moon will appear to cover the entire surface of the sun during the early afternoon of Monday, April 8.

The path of totality will begin in Mexico and will then extend across vast swathes of the United States which will fall into complete shadow. It comes just months after Americans witnessed a "ring of fire" eclipse in October last year. Millions of sky-gazers will witness the solar spectacle next month, and astronomy fans living elsewhere in the U.S. are expected to flock to the states sitting in the path of the eclipse.

However, amid all the excitement, there are fears that the eclipse could prove dangerous as the day suddenly plummets into darkness. Authorities have issued warnings that looking directly at the sun could lead to permanent eye damage, but there are other concerns too.

Experts have said that drivers may be distracted on the roads, which in some areas will see a build-up in traffic as those from out of town flock to watch the eclipse. Authorities are also concerned that huge crowds could put a strain on local resources and first responders.

The states due to be affected by the eclipse are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA. The eclipse will then enter Canada, where it will move across the country before exiting North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland.

Many of the affected U.S. states have already announced school closures, but students and their parents should check with their own schools and keep an eye on local news reports for the most up-to-date information.

Here are some of the closures that have been announced so far:

Texas

Several counties have already issued disaster declarations in advance, with Texans warned to stock up on food and gas as visitors head into the state, and multiple schools will close because of safety concerns for students.

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The Hays County School District is among those closing its schools for the day, despite previously planning to mark the day with students and issuing special viewing glasses that would allow them to safely watch the eclipse. But safety concerns sparked a re-think and the glasses will now be given to pupils to take home, where they will be asked to work on "fun activities and assignments for eclipse day," the district's spokesperson said.

The Del Valle, Manor and Lake Travis school districts will also be closed.

Indiana

A host of schools are closing or running e-learning days for students across the state on the day of the eclipse.

The schools known to be closing, according to local news station WRTV, are:

• Brebeuf High School
• Brownsburg Community Schools
• Cardinal Ritter High School
• Carmel Clay Schools
• Center Grove Community Schools
• Danville Community Schools
• Eastern Hancock Schools
• Guerin Catholic High School
• Hamilton Heights schools
• Hamilton Southeastern Schools
• Heritage Christian High School
• Indianapolis Public Schools
• Lawrence Township
• Lebanon Community Schools
• Mill Creek Community Schools
• Muncie Community Schools
• Noblesville Schools
• Park Tudor School
• Pike Township
• Plainfield Community Schools
• Roncalli High School
• Southern Hancock County Schools
• Speedway Schools
• Wayne Township
• Zionsville Community Schools

In addition, Mt. Vernon Community Schools will be running a 2-hour early release for students.

While the schools due to be running e-learning days on April 8 are:

• Avon Community schools
• Beech Grove Schools
• Bishop Chatard High School
• Cathedral High School
• Clark-Pleasant Community Schools
• Decatur Township
• Franklin Township Community Schools
• Greenfield-Central Community Schools
• Jennings County Schools
• Martinsville Schools
• Mooresville Schools
• Perry Township
• Scecina Memorial High School
• Warren Township
• Washington Township
• Westfield Washington schools

Ohio

Many schools in northern Ohio are also set for closures, including:

• Akron Public Schools
• Amherst Exempted Village Schools
• Ashland City Schools (Teacher Conference Comp. Day)
• Ashtabula Area City Schools
• Aurora City Schools (Staff report in for Professional Day)
• Avon Lake City Schools
• Avon Local School District
• Barberton City Schools
• Bay Village City Schools
• Black River Local Schools
• Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District
• Brunswick City Schools
• Buckeye Central School District
• Buckeye Local Schools
• Canton City Schools
• Cleveland Metropolitan School District
• Cloverleaf Local Schools
• Copley-Fairlawn City Schools
• Coventry Local Schools
• Cuyahoga Falls City Schools
• Cuyahoga Valley Career Center
• EHOVE Career Center
• Fairless Local Schools
• Fayette County Public Schools
• Field Local Schools
• Firelands Local Schools
• Green Local Schools
• Hawken School (faculty/staff work day)
• Highland Local Schools
• Hoban High School
• Horizon Science Academy
• Howland Local Schools
• Hudson City Schools
• Huron City Schools
• Jackson Local Schools
• James A. Garfield Local Schools
• Kenston Local Schools
• Kent City Schools
• Lake Local Schools
• Lakewood City Schools
• Lakeview Local Schools
• Lorain County Community College
• Louisville City Schools
• Madison Local Schools
• Manchester Local Schools
• Marlington Local Schools
• Massillon City Schools
• Mayfield City Schools
• Medina City Schools
• Mentor Public Schools
• Midview Schools
• Mogadore Local Schools
• Newton Falls Exempted Village Schools
• Nordonia Hills City School District
• Northside Christian Academy & Preschool
• Norton City Schools
• Norwalk City Schools
• North Canton City Schools
• North Olmsted City Schools
• North Ridgeville City Schools
• Oberlin City Schools
• Olmsted Falls City Schools
• Parma City School District
• Perry Local School District (Stark County)
• Plain Local Schools
• Poland Local Schools
• Portage Lakes Career Center
• Ravenna City Schools
• Revere Local School District
• Rittman Exempted Village Schools
• Rocky River City Schools
• Rootstown Local Schools
• Sandy Valley Local Schools
• Sheffield Lake City Schools
• Southeast Local Schools
• Springfield Local Schools
• Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools
• Streetsboro City Schools
• Strongsville City Schools
• Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools
• Twinsburg City Schools
• Wadsworth City Schools
• Waterloo Local Schools
• Wayne County Schools Career Center
• West Geauga Local Schools
• West Holmes Local Schools
• Westlake City Schools
• Willoughby-Eastlake School District
• Windham Exempted Village Schools
• Wooster City Schools
• Districts and schools that will release students early include:
• Hubbard Exempted Village Schools
• Tallmadge City Schools

Districts and schools that will have a remote day of learning:

• Hillsdale Public Schools
• Kent State University
• University of Akron
• Woodridge Local Schools

New York

Dozens of schools across central and western New York, which are directly in the totality's path, will close or finish early.

Meghan Piper, public information officer for Liverpool School District in central New York, told NewsChannel 9 that the district would be closed on April 8 due to fears about students' safety getting home whilst contending with crowds and a heavy build-up of traffic. Plans for a half-day were scrapped in favor of total closures, she added.

"School districts in other regions of the country that have experienced total eclipses like this have encountered those issues and the district decided to make the switch," Piper said.

Pennsylvania

The following school districts will be closed on April 8:

• Corry Area School District
• Erie Public Schools
• Fairview School District
• General McClane School District
• Girard School District
• Harbor Creek School District
• Iroquois School District
• Millcreek School District
• North East School District
• Northwestern School District
• Union City Area School District
• Wattsburg School District

Other school districts, including the Greenville Area School District, will have an early dismissal that afternoon.

Vermont

The following schools will be either closed or will release students early:

• University of Vermont
• Burlington public schools
• Montpelier-Roxbury Public Schools
• Maple Run Unified School District
• Champlain Valley Union School District
• Essex-Westford School District
• Milton Town School District
• Lamoille North Supervisory Union
• Lamoille South Supervisory Union
• Waitsfield Elementary
• Winooski School District:
• Colchester School District:
• Mount Abraham Unified School District:
• Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union
• Missisquoi Valley School District
• Addison Central School District
• Washington Central Unified Union School District

Many schools across the U.S. are planning to run educational activities about the eclipse. NASA has also shared details on social media site X (formerly Twitter) of some scientific experiments that smartphone users can take part in.

Eclipse witnesses have been encouraged to join in by observing changes in animals and recording temperature changes.

The space agency has also provided a map on its website showing the path of the eclipse and what time residents in those areas can expect to witness the totality.

Update 3/19/24 8:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated to fix a formatting issue, include further details of the eclipse's path, and add details about NASA's public science projects.