Next month’s solar eclipse was a topic of discussion during Monday’s meeting of the Butler Area School Board.
Although Butler is not within the path of totality, the April 8th eclipse is expected to be 93% visible in our area between 2 and 4 p.m., which coincides with student dismissal times.
The PA Department of Education has not provided guidance yet. The board gave some consideration to early dismissal or making the day into an ACT 80 day for teacher professional development but ultimately decided to continue with a normal day as previously scheduled.
Observing the solar eclipse will be accepted as a valid excuse to miss class. For those who do choose to attend, administrators don’t want kids looking directly up at the sun and hurting their eyes. So the district is looking into receiving solicitor approval to purchase a large number of viewing glasses.
