School districts already planning for April 2024 total solar eclipse

On Board Online • April 3, 2023

By Christopher Carola
Special Correspondent

Shayne Watterson, a science teacher in the Penfield Central School District, has been wearing a black T-shirt printed with the numbers 4.8.24. When a student asks about it, she's more than happy to explain.

One year from now, on the afternoon of Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse of the sun will occur across New York State for the first time in nearly a century. And Penfield is ready for the eclipse. It has already purchased special glasses - 5,000 of them - required to be worn while viewing the total eclipse in order to prevent potentially permanent eye damage.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and Earth. During a total solar eclipse, people in the path of totality see the sun's disk completely covered by the moon for a brief time.

The path of totality will stretch across a large swath of upstate New York from its southwest corner to its northern border with Canada. The midday darkness will present a unique learning opportunity for thousands of students.

The eclipse also presents a decision for school leaders: Should school be cancelled or students dismissed early to avoid having buses caught in the traffic jams that typically occur during eclipses? The partial eclipse will begin in western New York shortly after 3 p.m. on April 8, 2024. The total eclipse will start at 3:18 p.m. in Buffalo and at 3:20 p.m. in Rochester.

During the last total solar eclipse in the U.S., on Aug. 21, 2017, traffic backups lasting more than 10 hours were reported along the eclipse's central path, which stretched from the southeastern United States to the Pacific Northwest.

Penfield has already decided to cancel classes on eclipse day, which for many districts will fall on the first day of class after the spring break. The district is located near Rochester, which is considered a prime viewing location because the central line of the eclipse's path will pass just north of the city.

"We are very excited to be in one of the prime viewing areas for the 2024 eclipse," Dr. Thomas K. Putnam, superintendent at Penfield, said in an email. "We have extended our spring break to include April 8 to avoid any dismissal conflicts, as well as to allow students to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience with their families."

The duration of a total eclipse lasts longest along the central line. According to the website EclipseWise.com, Buffalo will be totally dark for 3 minutes, 45 seconds. Rochester's duration of totality will be 3 minutes, 38 seconds and Syracuse, which will be located on the central path's southern limit, will experience 61 seconds of totality. The rest of the state, including New York City, will experience a partial eclipse.

The last total solar eclipse in New York State occurred in January 1925. The next one in the U.S. won't occur until 2045. New York State won't experience its next total eclipse until 2079.

Dan Schneiderman, the eclipse partnership coordinator for the Rochester Museum and Science Center, wants to be sure that school districts are prepared.

"Every student in New York State, even if they're not located in the path of totality, deserves to observe the solar eclipse," he said. "We're heavily encouraging schools to plan ahead as these students won't get to experience another total solar eclipse within New York State until 2079."

Since 2018, Schneiderman has been working with tourism organizations, state and local agencies, and educational institutions to prepare the region for what's expected to be an influx of visitors numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Traffic is likely to be snarled, especially in Rochester and Buffalo, as "eclipse chasers" from across the U.S. and beyond seek a spot in the 110-mile wide central totality.

Schneiderman strongly encourages school districts to consider either cancelling school or dismissing students early on eclipse day.

"We don't want kids on buses during totality or stuck in traffic afterwards," Schneiderman said.

"You're not going to have a normal day," predicted Mark Percy, planetarium director at the Williamsville Central School District in Erie County. "Even if it's clouded over, it's going to get nighttime dark, the temperature will drop dramatically, and animals will act strangely because they'll think it's nighttime."

Williamsville won't be holding classes on eclipse day, according to Percy, who is a leader of a group that is organizing designated viewing locations. Called the Buffalo Eclipse Consortium, the group comprises astronomy clubs, libraries, museums and other groups passionate about science. Its website, buffaloeclipse.org, features a countdown clock.

According to JP O'Hare, a spokesman for the State Education Department, "the scheduling of activities related to the total eclipse would be a local decision." He added that Gov. Kathy Hochul has created a total eclipse task force that includes an SED staffer designated to work as a liaison with the education community.

In the Rochester area, groups are planning festivals and other events in the run-up to eclipse day, as well as collecting and developing educational tools to be used in and out of the classroom.

"Some school districts are just outright excited," Schneiderman said.

"By April 8, 2024, our kids will understand that you need to be outside for this because it's once in a lifetime, unless you make a point to travel and see it someplace else when it happens again," said Watterson, the Penfield teacher.