With the April 8 solar eclipse approaching, schools across Vermont are planning on early dismissals or outright cancellations to give students the opportunity to experience the celestial event and avoid anticipated crowds.
The eclipse will occur in parts of the Green Mountain State on a Monday from about 2:15 to 4:30 p.m., with total darkness expected to occur at approximately 3:26 p.m. — close to the time at which many schools would be getting out for the day.
State officials have said that up to 200,000 visitors could swarm Vermont to experience the phenomenon and have warned of hectic traffic conditions and increased strain on emergency response systems. Hoping to spare students the chaos, most school districts in the state are trying to keep kids off the roads for the afternoon.
“Different plans are in place depending on the school district and I would say largely — and logically — on their proximity to the path of the eclipse,” said Jeffrey Francis, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association. “It also may be that plans are evolving as people gain more information about what other school districts are doing and they hear from other entities”
In the northwestern most part of the state, which falls in the middle of the eclipse’s path of totality and is expected to receive the brunt of the eclipse-related tourism, schools are planning to close entirely on April 8.
Michael Clark, superintendent of the Grand Isle Supervisory Union, said that his district had initially planned on an early dismissal for the eclipse but eventually decided to switch to a full day off based on recommendations from the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department.
“They shared with us concerns about the significant influx of people and the strain that that would put on the regular public safety mechanisms,” Clark said. “And then throw on top of that concerns that roads might be blocked and traveling could be very challenging on the day.”
Comparing the day off to a snow day, when inclement weather leads to school closures, Clark said it was important to keep kids off the road if the conditions are dangerous for any reason.
Clark is a part of the Champlain Valley Superintendents Association — a confederation of leaders from school districts across the Champlain Valley — which recently announced that all districts in Franklin, Grand Isle and Chittenden counties would be closed for the day.
After initially expecting early dismissals, districts in other parts of the state have similarly followed suit.
On Thursday morning, after previously planning for a half-day, the superintendents of the Barre, Harwood, Washington Central and Montpelier-Roxbury school districts issued a letter announcing that schools in those districts would now be closed entirely on April 8, citing recommendations from local emergency officials.
In other parts of the state where tourism and traffic are expected to be less intense, school officials continue to plan for a half-day. Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, which serves Brattleboro and neighboring towns, will be dismissing students early on April 8.
In an email to community members, district superintendent Mark Speno cited “statewide concerns around eye safety, anticipated high traffic rates, and the likelihood that many of our students would be in buses or vehicles during some or all of the eclipse.”
Windham Southeast is joined by districts across Addison, Rutland, Bennington and Orleans counties in planning for a half-day.
