Less than a week after school kicks off for the year in Richmond, students will get a break.
Thanks to the solar eclipse taking place on August 21, Madison County School district has decided to turn that Monday into a "non-traditional instruction" day.
The day will see the first total solar eclipse to sweep across the US in nearly 100 years. Expected to begin in Oregon, then work its way south and east until it reaches the Carolinas, Kentucky is right in the middle of its path.
School officials cited safety concerns as the reason for cancelling classes in Richmond and the rest of Madison County. The eclipse is expected to be visible in Madison Country in the afternoon, right around the time that schools let out. School officials were concerned about having students make their way towards buses or be en route to home when the eclipse is at its most powerful.
A spokesperson for the school district, Erin Stewart, told the Richmond Register that there were many potential hazards, including "everything from traffic issues, to difficulty for our drivers, to eye damage."
Although school will not be in session, teachers can take advantage of non-traditional instruction days to help their students learn about solar eclipses. Teachers can use Brochures and Print-outs to educate students on the rarity of total eclipses and on the particular dangers involved in looking directly at the sun during one.
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