Snow day, now eclipse day? Why the celestial event has some schools going dark

Over 60 years ago, Ralph Chou saw his first total eclipse while vacationing in northern Ontario when he was 12.

He says witnessing the moon pass in front of the sun was a life-changing experience.

"It put me on this path to where I am now, and many of my friends are the same way," said Chou.

The professor emeritus of optometry and vision science at the University of Waterloo, who also has a degree in astronomy says, when done safely, observing the rare phenomenon is a learning opportunity for children.

In just three months, on April 8, many will once again be able to witness the total eclipse in southeastern Ontario, parts of the U.S. and Mexico as well as eastern Canada and much of southern Quebec — including Sherbrooke, Coaticook, Drummondville, Chateauguay, Sutton, Lac-Mégantic and parts of Montreal.

But anticipation for the phenomenon has recently prompted several school closures, especially among those located in the "path of totality" — where the sun will be entirely covered by the moon during the eclipse.

Although people can safely observe the eclipse by wearing special glasses, school boards say the timing of the eclipse — around 3:30 p.m. ET — means students will be on their way home from class, unsupervised and may not take the precautions needed to safely view it.

Julie Bolduc-Duval, in Thetford Mines, Que., is among those hoping schools remain open.

For the past three years, the executive director of Discover the Universe, an astronomy training program that offers free workshops across the country, has been preparing schools and communities for the rare total solar eclipse.

"I'm afraid some of their plans will be crushed by the school board level deciding to close. So it's a bit heartbreaking for them,"said Bolduc-Duval.

"I wish schools would embrace this amazing opportunity."

Cynthia Royea, the parent of a high schooler in Brome Lake, Que., hopes some schools will be able to mark the phenomenon.

As the owner of a daycare in the area, she says she understands the challenges of monitoring younger children during such an event.

"At 14 years old [my son] is able to, you know, listen to the guidelines. But if my kids were younger and there's not one-on-one, like a tiny ratio, I think the teacher would have a harder time to make sure that the kids will have their glasses on," said Royea.