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Chloe Mayer

By Chloe Mayer

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Hundreds of schools are set to close over safety fears during a solar eclipse next month, which will plunge several states into darkness.

The moon will appear to cover the entire surface of the sun during the early afternoon of Monday, April 8.

The path of totality will begin in Mexico and will then extend across vast swathes of the United States which will fall into complete shadow. It comes just months after Americans witnessed a "ring of fire" eclipse in October last year. Millions of sky-gazers will witness the solar spectacle next month, and astronomy fans living elsewhere in the U.S. are expected to flock to the states sitting in the path of the eclipse.

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However, amid all the excitement, there are fears that the eclipse could prove dangerous as the day suddenly plummets into darkness. Authorities have issued warnings that looking directly at the sun could lead to permanent eye damage, but there are other concerns too.

Experts have said that drivers may be distracted on the roads, which in some areas will see a build-up in traffic as those from out of town flock to watch the eclipse. Authorities are also concerned that huge crowds could put a strain on local resources and first responders.

The states due to be affected by the eclipse are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA. The eclipse will then enter Canada, where it will move across the country before exiting North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland.

Many of the affected U.S. states have already announced school closures, but students and their parents should check with their own schools and keep an eye on local news reports for the most up-to-date information.

Here are some of the closures that have been announced so far:

Eclipse May 2012

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Texas

Several counties have already issued disaster declarations in advance, with Texans warned to stock up on food and gas as visitors head into the state, and multiple schools will close because of safety concerns for students.

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The Hays County School District is among those closing its schools for the day, despite previously planning to mark the day with students and issuing special viewing glasses that would allow them to safely watch the eclipse. But safety concerns sparked a re-think and the glasses will now be given to pupils to take home, where they will be asked to work on "fun activities and assignments for eclipse day," the district's spokesperson said.

The Del Valle, Manor and Lake Travis school districts will also be closed.

Indiana

A host of schools are closing or running e-learning days for students across the state on the day of the eclipse.

The schools known to be closing, according to local news station WRTV, are:

In addition, Mt. Vernon Community Schools will be running a 2-hour early release for students.

While the schools due to be running e-learning days on April 8 are:

Ohio

Many schools in northern Ohio are also set for closures, including:

Districts and schools that will have a remote day of learning:

New York

Dozens of schools across central and western New York, which are directly in the totality's path, will close or finish early.

Meghan Piper, public information officer for Liverpool School District in central New York, told NewsChannel 9 that the district would be closed on April 8 due to fears about students' safety getting home whilst contending with crowds and a heavy build-up of traffic. Plans for a half-day were scrapped in favor of total closures, she added.

"School districts in other regions of the country that have experienced total eclipses like this have encountered those issues and the district decided to make the switch," Piper said.

Pennsylvania

The following school districts will be closed on April 8:

Other school districts, including the Greenville Area School District, will have an early dismissal that afternoon.

Vermont

The following schools will be either closed or will release students early:

Many schools across the U.S. are planning to run educational activities about the eclipse. NASA has also shared details on social media site X (formerly Twitter) of some scientific experiments that smartphone users can take part in.

Eclipse witnesses have been encouraged to join in by observing changes in animals and recording temperature changes.

View this post on X

The space agency has also provided a map on its website showing the path of the eclipse and what time residents in those areas can expect to witness the totality.

Update 3/19/24 8:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated to fix a formatting issue, include further details of the eclipse's path, and add details about NASA's public science projects.

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