Student Safety During Partial Solar Eclipse
Dear Parents & Guardians:
On Monday, April 8, 2024, between the hours of 11:48 a.m. and 1:38 p.m., a partial solar eclipse will be visible in central Alberta.
During this eclipse, we ask students to:
- remain indoors for their lunch break and recesses
- participate in supervised indoor activities
- avoid viewing the partial solar eclipse in an unsafe manner
If parents/guardians decide that their child will walk or drive home for lunch on Monday, please discuss with your child that they are urged not to look directly at the sun to protect their eyes from damage from the solar eclipse.
A solar eclipse can damage the eyes through:
- Intense Light: The sun's rays are very powerful. Even during an eclipse, when the sun is partly hidden, its light can harm our eyes if we look at it without proper protection. (sunglasses, Polaroid filters, certain welding glass, exposed color film, X-ray film, or photographic neutral-density filters WILL NOT protect your eyes during an eclipse).
- UV and Infrared Radiation: The sun gives off harmful UV and infrared light that can burn the retina, the part of the eye that lets us see, leading to permanent damage or blind spots.
- Pupil Dilation: In dim light, our pupils get bigger to let in more light. During an eclipse, this can let in too much harmful sunlight, increasing the risk of eye damage.
There will be opportunities to turn the partial solar eclipse into an educational experience for students without endangering them. These can be through observing NASA’s live stream or experiments in the science class. Thank you for your attention and understanding of this matter, and if you have any questions on safety protocols at your school please contact your local principal.
Sincerely,
Tim De Ruyck
Superintendent
Wolf Creek Public Schools