# Local school board cancels school because of an eclipse
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 27, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738 "2024-01-27T16:29:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/41 "2024-01-29T13:30:40Z")
> [@tofor](#):
>
> I’m gobsmacked that a school in the path of totality would do anything other than plan to have all the kids outdoors suitably supplied with eclipse glasses.
I’m in the path of totality, and I’m really thankful we have a planned in-service day where school is cancelled for our kids. I’d much rather they be home with me, my solar telescope, my pile of eclipse glasses and the homemade shadow boxes we’ll make, rather than under the “supervision” of their teachers.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/42 "2024-01-29T14:51:46Z")
Meanwhile, The Pascal Memorial Elementary School is closing just in case the eclipse is a result of angry gods.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/43 "2024-01-29T15:35:47Z")
It probably isn’t–but what if it is?
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/44 "2024-01-29T16:20:14Z")
This has a bit more detail.
> **[PA day switch among Halton District School Board meeting highlights](https://www.insidehalton.com/news/pa-day-switch-among-halton-district-school-board-meeting-highlights/article_f726402c-8312-552d-b39c-aeb1ab8ac651.html)**
>
> Recent news from the Halton District School Board includes a few changes to public meetings, fashion open houses and the conclusion of an extensive boundary review.
> The timing of the event, approximately 2 to 4:30 p.m., is particularly troubling because of darkness at dismissal times, which could frighten students and create safety issues with cars arriving to pick up children, according to HDSB associate director Tina Salmini.
IOW:
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> You’re eight. You’re walking home from school. The sun is doing something super weird in the sky. Your parents might have told you not to look at it, but it’s _really weird_. What do you do?
>
> I’m almost 50, but I work with kids, and I think you’re fundamentally missing the point. It’s not about dusk, it’s about the unique danger that an eclipse presents to those with poor self-control, like children and ex-presidents.
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### Author:  [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/45 "2024-01-29T16:23:51Z")
Given that it’s early April in Ontario, it will probably be overcast that day anyways.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/46 "2024-01-29T16:40:20Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> Does a PA day end significantly earlier than the normal school day?
It depends entirely on what tasks they perform. My mother was a schoolteacher and PA days didn’t seem to end early.
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### Author:  [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/47 "2024-01-29T16:42:39Z")
This. That’s immediately where my mind went. Plus some (at least perceived) risk of vehicle accidents (buses!) since it appears from my cursory reading to be occurring during after-school time in at least some areas. “Let’s just avoid this whole thing, we have the inservice day, it won’t hurt.”
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/48 "2024-01-29T16:52:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> But I still wonder whether they considered this press release:
>
> > A lot of staff members are planning to be absent during the eclipse, so we’re cancelling school that day.
>
> and decided to write something about safety so it’d sound better.
But it’s actually an inservice day so teachers are expected to be in school.
I guess I don’t see what the deal is. They’re not “cancelling” school, in that they’re not giving kids an extra day without education because of this. They’re just shifting an existing day off. It’s in April and it’s still January so there’s plenty of notice. I’m sure some parent’s schedule will be messed up but it’s probably helping more schedules from parents who wanted to see the event. On balance, MORE kids will probably be in school overall since the number of kids who would have stayed home for the eclipse and then stayed home again for the original inservice is going to be greater than just stayed home because of eclipse.
They can say it’s because of blindness risk or darkness or angry gods or whatever… it’s still a net positive to move the inservice day to eclipse day.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/49 "2024-01-29T16:54:50Z")
> [@Jophiel](#):
>
> But it’s actually an inservice day so teachers are expected to be in school.
If a teacher takes leave on an inservice day (or if they, just spitballing, take off early enough to watch some celestial event in its entirety), it’s much less of a logistical hassle than if they take leave on a day when students are there.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/50 "2024-01-29T16:56:14Z")
True. No need to get a sub, etc.
Just would sound weird to say “We’re moving this teacher inservice day because the teachers are going to skip work on that day”
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/51 "2024-01-29T16:59:45Z")
> [@Jophiel](#):
>
> Just would sound weird to say “We’re moving this teacher inservice day because the teachers are going to skip work on that day”
Exactly. I’m tentatively accusing the district of very mild dishonesty, of the “we don’t want any hassle” variety. But I freely admit I might be wrong.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/52 "2024-01-29T17:09:44Z")
> [@Jophiel](#):
>
> Just would sound weird to say “We’re moving this teacher inservice day because the teachers are going to skip work on that day”
Why skip work though? When we has the 96% partial eclipse in Denver we simply went out in the parking lot for 30 minutes to view it. Only teacher that took the day off was the former astronomer that went up to Wyoming to view totality with all of his astronomer buddies.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/53 "2024-01-29T17:19:31Z")
You guys shoulda gone to see total. I’m telling you, it’s not at all the same experience.
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### Author:  [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/54 "2024-01-29T17:37:44Z")
This, absolutely. Without totality you haven’t seen an eclipse. If you have 99% you get 2% of the experience.
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/55 "2024-01-29T18:52:42Z")
Agree with this. I once told a friend that a partial eclipse is like a partial orgasm. He really liked that analogy.
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### Author:  [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2024, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/56 "2024-01-30T07:36:05Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#):
>
> I think you misread the article,
No, I was addressing the people who were complaining about canceling school, just like the ones in my story.
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2024, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/57 "2024-01-30T07:53:48Z")
I actually lived through the event Carly Simon sang about when she sang, “Then you flew your Lear Jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun,” in “You’re So Vain.” It was 1972, it happened on a Saturday, and I was in Toronto, which was predicted to get 80% totality.
We kids at school were warned of the dangers of looking at the eclipse. We were taught how to construct devices that would allow us to watch it safely (usually, made from shoeboxes). We were warned not to “smoke glass,” or do other similar things that would supposedly protect our eyes. Again, it happened on a Saturday, so the school could do nothing except warn us of the danger.
Regardless, a lot of us took a quick glimpse anyway on that Saturday. I did, and I sure remember seeing a chunk of the Moon in front of the Sun. But very briefly.
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2024, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-school-board-cancels-school-because-of-an-eclipse/996738/58 "2024-01-30T09:00:16Z")
> [@Dorjan](#):
>
> Given that it’s early April in Ontario, it will probably be overcast that day anyways.
Go away.
I mean, you’re absolutely right. And I’ve said the same over in the eclipse thread But don’t rub it in. ☹
Still, there’s a chance of clear or semi-clear skies. I have hope.
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