by Jim Hooper, Director of Curriculum & Instruction |
Greenville City Schools will be closed on April 8, 2024, due to the solar eclipse that will be passing over Greenville and the surrounding area. This once-in-a-lifetime event will begin at 1: 53 PM and end at 4:25 PM, with a total eclipse happening at 3:08 PM for about 4 minutes.
The main reason Greenville schools will be closed is that we are expecting this event to draw a large number of “eclipse watchers” to Darke County. The Darke County Sheriff’s Office and the Darke County Emergency Management Agency are anticipating hundreds of thousands of spectators to visit Darke County starting the weekend before the eclipse. Eclipses in other parts of the country have shown similar patterns of people traveling to those areas to view the eclipse, and it has been advised that we keep students and buses off the roads during this event to avoid any safety and security problems that may occur.
Because students will be off that day, we highly recommend the observation of the eclipse be done with an adult. It will be important to stress with them to not look directly at the sun and only look with special glasses designed specifically for solar eclipses. While the school district cannot recommend any particular pair of solar eclipse glasses, the websites below can help you find approved eclipse-viewing glasses.
https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety
https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety
Below are links to information about the eclipse.
https://www.visitdarkecounty.org/total-solar-eclipse-2024
https://ema.ohio.gov/media-publications/ohio-total-solar-eclipse
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024
https://nationaleclipse.com/maps.html
The next total solar eclipse in Ohio will take place in 2099, so this will be an incredible opportunity for Darke County residents to be shared with family and friends. We appreciate your understanding and hope you make safe plans to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.