Total Solar Eclipse - No School April 8
On April 8, 2024, Ohio will experience a once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse event. The last total solar eclipse in Ohio happened 217 years ago in 1806. Many parts of the state, ours included, will be in total darkness for a brief period in the late afternoon. The rest of the state will see the sun at least 95% blocked by the moon during that time.
The timing of the total eclipse has created a tricky situation for school districts in the totality zone, as it is supposed to occur right around our dismissal time. The issue will not be the darkness, but instead, the amount of traffic in our area, as the Ohio Emergency Management Team anticipates an extremely large number of visitors to our area to view this historic event. It is estimated that an additional 139,000-556,000 travelers will be coming to this part of Ohio, creating gridlocked traffic conditions and travelers stopped all along our roadways. More information and guidance from the Ohio Emergency Management team can be found HERE.
Due to the safety concerns regarding travel conditions, Southwest Local Schools have decided to close on Monday, April 8, 2024. Several other districts in our area have already done the same.
We will be providing solar eclipse glasses to all of our students and staff members so they may view the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse safely. Those will be sent home with students during the previous week.
School will resume as normal on Tuesday, April 9th.