School will go on as planned on April 8 at public schools in Waterloo Region despite the total solar eclipse.
The Waterloo Region District School Board announced Wednesday that it will not move a PD day scheduled for two days later to the day of the eclipse.
“This means that WRDSB students can have a once in a lifetime education experience,” a release from the board read.
A number of school boards, including the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, have moved professional development days to the day of the eclipse.
When the Catholic board announced the move, it said there were concerns over students hurting their eyes as they headed home from school and potentially looked upwards to see the phenomenon.
The eclipse is scheduled to hit the area at around 3:18 p.m.
The WRDSB said it considered a number of factors in making the decision, including safety, maximizing learning opportunities and the impact on families who would need child care.
“As a publicly funded educational institution, we will be providing valuable education for the students we serve on April 8, as we do every school day,” the release noted. “We are confident WRDSB staff will make the most of the once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity connected to the eclipse.”
This will be the first time in decades that a total solar eclipse will take place in Central and Eastern Canada.
Several cities and towns are expected to go into darkness for several minutes, although according to Queen’s University, Waterloo Region will not be in the path of totality.