Opportunity eclipsed? Schools will close for rare solar event

The decision by school administrators in eastern Ontario to cancel classes the day of a rare solar eclipse has some asking whether they're missing out on an equally rare teaching moment.

As the moon aligns between the Earth and the sun, a partial eclipse will sweep across the Ottawa Valley and Quebec between 2:11 and 4:35 p.m. April 8.

Some places such as Cornwall and Kingston will see a total eclipse around 3:20 p.m.

Areas further north such as Ottawa will just miss out on this "totality."

Map of the path of totality April 8. As NASA explains, totality is 'the maximum phase of a total eclipse during which the Moon's disk completely covers the Sun.' (Canadian Space Agency)

Many school boards across eastern Ontario will keep students home after rescheduling a PD day to April 8.

Ottawa's largest board, however, said it didn't have a development day to move and it's going to cancel classes.

The celestial event coincides with the usual dismissal time for students, explained the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB).

Other boards expressed concerns with school bus safety.

Outside one Ottawa school last month, parents reacted to questions about the decision with surprise, asking if it was an April Fool's joke.

There have been other vocal critics who say the idle schools represent a lost opportunity — some of them from within the school system.

"I don't think it's necessary for schools to close during the eclipse," said OCDSB trustee Lyra Evans, calling it a missed opportunity to guide students through a rare, live and dazzling scientific experience.

"Instead of doing that we're sending kids home saying ''I hope you don't look at the sun.'"

She said it reflected a culture of risk aversion that has taken hold in many public institutions.

Ottawa Carleton District School Board trustee Lyra Evans says the school closures area missed opportunity to engage learners in science-as-it-happens. (Robyn Bresnahan/CBC)

Last month Mike Wyseman, the president of Municipal Risk Services, said the risk of liability tied to a partial solar eclipse would be "minimal at best."

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce has also been critical of the decision.

He said closing schools would reduce the ability of a child "to learn in a dynamic way about science and astronomy and exciting things that are happening."

Retinal risk

Space journalist Elizabeth Howell said while the opportunity to participate in a major astronomical event such as an eclipse or a comet can galvanize a young mind, she understood the stance of school boards.

Staring directly at the sun during an eclipse can cause serious eye damage, she said.

That damage is often imperceptible at first since the retina has no sensitivity to pain and since the effects of retinal damage may not appear for hours.

Space journalist Elizabeth Howell, photographed on small hill in Ottawa's Barrhaven neighbourhood where she remembers keenly following celestial happenings. (Robyn Bresnahan/CBC)

Howell fondly recalled a day in 1994 when teachers drew the curtains and cancelled recess to prevent students from looking at a solar eclipse.

The workings of the celestial clock mean accommodating this year's solar event is more challenging, she acknowledged.

Safer viewing

Despite the school closures, Ottawa's Canada Aviation and Space Museum will throw open the doors of an aircraft hangar to host an eclipse viewing event.

A young spectator looks skyward during a partial eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21, 2017 at a museum on Long Island, N.Y. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The popularity of a similar event for a partial eclipse in 2017 caught organizers off guard, drawing thousands when only hundreds of sky-watchers had been expected.

This time, Cassandra Marion, the science advisor at the museum, said they would be prepared and ready to provide free eclipse viewing glasses with admission, along with educational activities and crafts for children.