Many school districts in New York are canceling class or dismissing students early Monday as traffic is expected to snarl the region in and around the zone of totality during the 2024 solar eclipse.
With snow days phased out by remote learning, it takes nothing less than a rare total solar eclipse to get a day off from school for some students.
Many school districts in upstate New York are canceling class on Monday or dismissing students early as traffic is expected to snarl the region in and around the zone of totality, which stretches from Buffalo and Rochester to the Adirondack Mountains.
New York City schools, however, are staying open — despite concerns from some parents.
Some districts are using unused snow days, while others are extending spring breaks.
Another largely unspoken factor is that schools want to avoid the liability of having students incur vision damage by staring at the astronomical event without protective eyewear on school property, according to a former state educator.
The Buffalo City School District, the state’s third largest, is canceling classes on Monday, leaving students and teachers the opportunity to enjoy the eclipse on their own time.
The City of Light will be totally blacked out at 3:18 p.m., when students would normally be catching buses home.
Most suburban districts in the surrounding area will also be closed, or send students home early, according to WGRZ.
