Waterloo region's public school board won't move PD day to coincide with eclipse
CBC
The Waterloo Region District School Board will not be moving its April professional development day to coincide with a solar eclipse.
Other school boards locally and across the province have opted to make April 8 a PD day.
The public board's professional development (PD) day will remain on April 10. That day was chosen specifically because it gives students who celebrate Eid the day off.
"This will be the first total eclipse since 1925 and another one won't be visible in the area again until 2144. WRDSB staff are already planning to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity," the school board said in a post on its website Wednesday afternoon.
"As a publicly funded educational institution, we will be providing valuable education for the students we serve on April 8, as we do every school day."
The board said it took into consideration the decisions of other school boards as well as other factors including student safety and the impact on families who would require child care or who would have to adjust their schedules.
The board says parents are welcome to take their children out of school for the day or pick them up early if they feel it's necessary.
The school board says parents and caregivers should talk to students about the importance of not looking directly at an eclipse because it can damage their eyes.
Other local school boards have opted to move their PD day to April 8, including:
The French-language boards Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir have planned for students to learn from home asynchronously on April 8.
LISTEN | With a solar eclipse on the way in April, University of Guelph's Orbax offers tips to prepare to look at it safely:
In making its decision, the Waterloo Catholic board trustees reviewed a report from director of education Tyrone Dowling in which he noted the eclipse is set to occur in Waterloo region at about 3:18 p.m., "at a time when the majority of our students will be travelling home."
This is a safety concern, he said.
"In addition to these health risks, a period of darkness will occur which will present additional challenges to students during dismissal time," Dowling's report said.
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