Eclipse Decision Made By Fredericksburg Schools For Students' Safety

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — All Fredericksburg City Public School students will be dismissed early on Monday due to the partial solar eclipse that will occur that afternoon.

"On Monday, April 8, the rare solar eclipse will occur at the end of the school day for some students and while others will be transitioning home either by bus, car, or walking," according to an FCPS release sent out on Wednesday. "Our concern is everyone’s safety. We know it would be tempting for some students to look at the sun which could cause injury without eye protection. We also know that many parents would like to experience the solar eclipse with their children. For these reasons, we will close schools early on Monday, April 8. This early dismissal will allow students to arrive home safely.

Elementary school students will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, followed by middle and high school students at 12 p.m. All preschool programs will also dismiss students at 12 p.m.

"We hope students and families take the opportunity to learn more about this extraordinary, natural phenomenon," according to the FCPS release. "More information on safe viewing will be coming to our FCPS families."

Although Stafford County Public Schools will be offering a full day of instruction on Monday, the rare event will present an opportunity for students to discuss the eclipse.

"Leading up to the eclipse, educators were provided with NASA approved, grade level appropriate materials to support instruction," according to an SCPS release. "Students in the middle and elementary schools will all receive solar viewing glasses to protect their eyes during the bus ride home, and to observe the once-in-a-generation teachable moment first hand."

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to celebrate science and provide our students with a meaningful, real-life experience that enhances the instructional day,” said Dr. Thomas W. Taylor, superintendent.

None of the total solar eclipse will reach Virginia, but the partial eclipse will be viewable. In Fredericksburg, the moon will cover about 87.9 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map that is searchable by ZIP code.

Here are the details:

• Partial eclipse begins: 2:04 p.m.
• Maximum: 3:20 p.m.
• Partial ends: 4:32 p.m.

The eclipse will last nearly two and a half hours from beginning to end in Fredericksburg.

Free eclipse glasses are available at the Stafford Visitor Center located at Gari Melchers Home and Studio at located at 224 Washington St. in Falmout. Access to the grounds is complimentary. Regular admission applies for museum tours. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fredericksburg area solar eclipse viewing events on April 8 include:

• Solar Eclipse Festival on the National Mall: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Virginia State Parks plans to host solar eclipse viewers at its 42 state parks around the commonwealth. For a breakdown by park of eclipse start, peak and end times and the percent of obscurity, click here. At Woodbridge's Leesylvania State Park, eclipse viewing will start at 2:02 p.m., reach a peak of 86.7 percent coverage at 3:20 p.m. and end at 4:31 p.m.

The total solar eclipse starts in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Tennessee and Michigan, before entering Canada in southern Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

If you know of any other eclipse-related events happening Monday in Fredericksburg, please email Patch editor Michael O'Connell at [email protected] so we can include it in our eclipse coverage.