Burgettstown Area School District

In the interest of the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff during the upcoming Solar Eclipse, the Burgettstown Area School District will dismiss students early on Monday, April 8, 2024. Since our families are accustomed to the release times for Act 80 half-day Fridays, and because those times enable us to ensure that students of all ages will be home by the time the eclipse is expected to begin, we will follow the same dismissal times. This is to say:

On Monday, April 8, the early dismissal times will be:

Middle/High School: 11:45 AM

Elementary Center: 12:45 PM

2:00 PM: The eclipse phase sequence will begin around 2:00 p.m. (EST). As the Moon's orbit begins to travel in between the Sun and Earth, appearing as a dark shadow increasingly moving into the bright sphere of the sun.

3:00 PM: When the Moon is covering most of the Sun, watch for the ambient light to change and grow dimmer. The change will become more pronounced in the last 15 minutes before totality. The light may look eerie or strange. Even if it's cloudy and you can't see the Sun, the skies will still grow darker.

3:15 PM – 3:20 PM: Within the path of totality, the total eclipse phase as the Moon completely covers the Sun's surface. The sky will darken much like dawn or dusk for the short duration of the total eclipse.

3:20 PM – 4:30 PM: The phases of the solar eclipse will be played out in reverse.

4:30 PM: The visible eclipse effects will conclude around 4:30 p.m. in Pennsylvania.

Observers should always use solar viewing or eclipse glasses, hand-held solar viewers made with sun filter film, or an alternative safe solar viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, to view the sun. This includes when watching a partial or annular eclipse, or before or after totality for a total solar eclipse. Even a short glimpse of the sun can permanently damage the rods and cones in the human retina. Eye safety precautions during the eclipse should be followed when viewing from both indoor and outdoor locations.

Anticipate issues with transportation due to the uniqueness of the eclipse phenomena. Pennsylvania has viewing opportunities that are drawing eclipse viewers to many areas that are not accustomed to high traffic volume. Areas with normal high traffic will have increased traffic. In all areas, be prepared for spontaneous disruptions caused by distracted drivers. Awareness of potential complications is crucial even if individuals are not intentional eclipse viewers.

Consider the following:

• Pre-plan your route. Know your destination in advance and where you plan to safely park to view the eclipse.
• Do not pull off the side of a roadway to view the eclipse as it could impede traffic and is unsafe.
• Do not park on privately owned land (empty lots or farm fields) unless arrangements have been made with the owner of the property.
• In the event your GPS does not work, keeping a paper travel map in your preparedness kit is smart.
• Keep your gas tank topped off.
• If it is a rainy week prior to the eclipse date, be mindful of parking in grassy areas such as fields. The ground may be soft, and your vehicle may get stuck.
• Do not call 9-1-1 for traffic jams unless it is a life-safety emergency.

Those students who attend the WACTC will still go on the 8th, but, like on Act 80 1/2 days, they will return to campus early.

Yes. We simply ask that parents submit an excuse for the day's absence.

Yes. However, like all absences, we look at total absences for the school year when determining attendance concerns. Please be sure to submit an absence excuse for your child.

Fortunately, there are no athletic contests scheduled for the day of the eclipse. However, there may be practices. We will be informing our coaches that outdoor practices are not to begin until 4:30 PM.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education published guidelines that state, in part: "PDE will consider an early dismissal on the day of the eclipse for safety purposes to be an early dismissal for inclement weather. Since early dismissals for inclement weather are defined as instructional activities (22 Pa. Code §11.8), the day will count as a full day of instruction." While some school districts are doing FID days and having remote instruction, this was not an option provided directly from PDE. Since the guidance specifically states that the early dismissal will not affect instructional hours, we are able to proceed with our plan and not have to be concerned about penalties for lost instruction.

During the April 8, 2024, event, the eclipse impact across PA will range from Total (100%) to Partial Solar Eclipse (90%).

Crawford, Erie, Mercer, and Warren counties are in direct line for the path of totality or 100% magnitude.

The remainder of the state will be in the 99% to 88.65% magnitude, thus viewing precautions and the use of protective eyewear during the entire eclipse including the peak are required to prevent permanent eye damage.

**NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR**

During a total solar eclipse, the moon is positioned at just the correct distance to create a perspective where it is the same angular size as the sun ​and the moon appears to completely block the sun.

Outside the path of totality, the viewing angle will impact the view, creating a partial solar eclipse. At the peak, depending on the zone of magnitude or percent of totality, viewers may be able to see a sliver of light or crescent. The size of that crescent of light increases as the percent of totality decreases.

During an annular eclipse, the more common type of eclipse, the moon is positioned at or near its farthest point from the Earth. Because it is further from the Earth, the perspective makes its appearance smaller than the sun, creating the image of a dark disk (the moon) on top of a brighter disk (the sun), which produces a bright ring around the perimeter of the sun.

While some school districts have decided not to alter their schedule and are having a regular school day, we are taking a different approach. We believe our early dismissal time will give our students enough time to get home before the eclipse begins. From a driver-safety standpoint, it gives our student drivers time to get home and it also gives our bus drivers time to return to campus. Once students are home, it is our hope that parents/guardians monitor their children to ensure they are safe. If we would have kept the normal schedule, our middle/high school students would have been on their way home at the start of the eclipse, and our elementary students would be dismissed well into the eclipse. We believe that even if we took preventative, educational measures to keep our students safe, curiosity will likely get the best of them, and they may glance upward, therefore potentially causing damage to their eyes. It would be very difficult to monitor all students, especially as they are on the busses on their way home. We feel it is best if each family approach the event in their own way. Below are a variety of links, provided to us by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, that we think may be helpful in planning for the event.