Many area schools will dismiss early for Monday’s solar eclipse

In preparation for the anticipated solar eclipse Monday many Luzerne County area schools announced early dismissals to give children and families a chance to experience the rare celestial event together.

Student’s safety was also taken into consideration, with Hazleton Area superintendent Brian Uplinger writing in an email, “We believe the potential is significant for students, especially our younger elementary aged students, to be tempted to view it without proper safety precautions while exiting the buildings or while getting on/off the school bus.”

Safety tips for everyone

While it’s true that a solar eclipse is a stunning natural phenomenon, it’s also extremely dangerous to look at without proper eye protection.

With that in mind, here are some safety tips from both NASA and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to help you protect your family while viewing the solar eclipse.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), a total solar eclipse will cross North America from Southwest to Northeast, darkening the afternoon sky and blocking the sun’s light as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun.

Only a small section of the Northwest part of the state lies within the path of totality, so most of the state will experience a partial eclipse at around 90% coverage, said the DCNR.

According to the online eclipse simulator for 2024, residents in Wilkes-Barre and surrounding areas can expect to witness the partial eclipse beginning around 2 p.m., reaching its peak around 3:23 p.m., and concluding around 4:30 p.m.

It is never safe to look directly at a partial eclipse, according to NASA, because there is no period of totality when the moon completely blocks the sun.

Because the sun will always be visible in some capacity, it is important to wear specialized solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard and children, especially, should always be supervised when using them.

As stated by NASA, regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the sun.

You can use a telescope, camera, or binoculars to view the eclipse, but those devices also require specific solar filters to protect your vision.

Lastly, if you are planning to watch the eclipse outside, you might be standing in direct sunlight for hours, so the DCNR states that it’s important to wear sunscreen and proper clothing to protect your skin.

Early Monday school dismissals

• Hazleton Area High School and Career Center will dismiss at 10:45 a.m., the middle school at 11 a.m., and the elementary school at noon.

• Pittston Area High School will dismiss at noon, Middle school at 12:30 p.m., and Intermediate and Primary Centers close at 1 p.m.

• Wyoming Area Secondary Center will dismiss at 11:02 a.m. and the elementary school will close between noon and 12:15 p.m.

• Dallas School District will dismiss its secondary schools 11:10 a.m. and K-5 will dismiss at 11:50 a.m.

• Wilkes-Barre Area School District will dismiss middle school at 11:30 a.m., elementary schools will dismiss at noon, and high school will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. This will replace scheduled in-services for April 9, 10 and 11.

• Hanover Area School District will dismiss the high school at 11 a.m., Memorial and Lee Park at 11:30 a.m. and Hanover Green and Lyndwood at noon.

• Wyoming Valley West School District will dismiss its high school at 10:30 a.m., middle will dismiss at 11:20 a.m. and elementary will dismiss at noon.

• Crestwood Area School District will dismiss its secondary campus (7-12) at noon and Rice and Fairview Elementary (K-6) at 1 p.m.