Around every 18 months, a total eclipse occurs, when this happens a small portion of the world goes dark for some time. A total eclipse can have dangerous side effects when looking at it. As a result of this, most schools in Medina County are closed on April 8, 2024, the day of the total eclipse. However, Wadsworth is not closing for the eclipse.
“We strongly feel that the eclipse is a fabulous educational opportunity and a way to get students interested in science,” said Michele Evans, the Director of Instruction and Professional Development, in an emailed response. “Being in the path of totality doesn’t occur often, and we want to capitalize on this high-interest event as much as we can.”
Although educational, as the sun’s rays wrap around the moon, they act as laser hot beams that can blind the human eye. Due to the safety concerns, there is protective eyewear that the district bought to protect students and staff.
“We purchased 5,000 pairs of glasses to give to staff and students in the district. We also purchased another 5,000 pairs to sell to the community as a service,” Evans said.
According to Evans, the district spent 48 cents per pair of eyewear. This averages to $4,800 for eyewear.
“We also feel that we can ensure [the] safety of younger students, who will still be in school if they are with us during the eclipse and we can ensure they have their eyes protected,” Evans said.
One of the concerns that has been brought up is the time that the eclipse is the amount of traffic it will bring to cities.
According to the minutes from the August 15, 2023 Medina Commissioners Meeting, “It is expected that the day before and the day of the eclipse, Medina County’s population will explode. She [Colleen M. Swedyk, one of the Medina County Commissioners] stated that they are expecting hundreds of thousands of people will come to Medina County setting up tents, etc.”
Another concern is that the eclipse will be happening at the time of dismissal. The eclipse will happen around 3 p.m. which is when most schools are dismissing for the day. Some superintendents of other districts use this as their reasoning for closing because students will be in the process of being dismissed there is no way to ensure that every student has the proper eyewear on.
“It is our hope that by educating students about the permanent damage they can do to their eyes and providing safety wear for them, when they are on their way home, we hope they will wear their glasses,” Evans said. “It is kind of like seat belts, if students are driving home, they know that wearing their seat belts ensures their safety and it is the law, but we can’t physically make them wear their seat belts.”
