BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A rare solar eclipse set to arrive on Monday will not impact the school day for Bridgewater-Raritan students, said Superintendent Robert Beers.
“We are going to have school, we are going to have our regular activities,” said Beers at the March 26 Board of Education meeting in response to some parents’ questions asking what the district plans to do on April 8 during the solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse will cross North America on Monday, April 8, passing over the United States, Mexico and Canada. It will cross into the Eastern Daylight Time region during the afternoon hours.
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New Jersey isn’t in the direct path of the eclipse, but the Garden State will still see 90 percent blockage of the sun.
Regardless of the eclipse blockage percent, the right eye protection is crucial for safety.
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The partial eclipse is set to begin at 2:09 p.m. and end around 4:35 p.m. Read More: Will I See The Total Solar Eclipse In Bridgewater?
“We are going to be sending something out to our younger grades because that is when dismissal time is for the younger kids. Just so parents have it on their radar,” said Beers.
Beers said that it will be dark for students coming home from school but that the bus drivers are used to driving in the dark when they pick up the high school students in the morning.
“Our bus drivers are familiar with driving in those conditions and it’s not going to be pitched black like midnight. But it will be an interesting development,” said Beers.
Classrooms throughout the district also have activities planned for students to learn about the eclipse.
“What a great time for us to really share the wonders of the natural world with our kids,” said Beers, who added that it will be quite some time before the next total solar eclipse will arrive in our area.
It will be March 30, 2033, before another total solar eclipse touches the United States, and that’s only on the tip of Alaska. It’ll be Aug. 12, 2044, before the next eclipse sweeps across the lower 48 states, with parts of Montana and North Dakota experiencing totality. Read More: The 2024 Great American Solar Eclipse Is A Really Big Deal: Here’s Why
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