80% Coverage, No Communication and No Attendance: Excused Absences Offered for Solar Eclipse Day  

The school will offer excused absences for students who do not want to show up because of the solar eclipse on April 8, the day students come back from spring break. 

Not only is this decision surrounded by debate, but it is also shrouded in mystery.  

English teacher Suzanne Wren said her initial reaction upon hearing about this decision was, “disgust, and a little resentment. Teachers don’t get the day off. And students just had a five-day weekend a little bit ago. They don’t need another day off.” 

Meanwhile, students seem happy about the excused absence — not because it means getting to see an eclipse that has been dubbed the Great North American Eclipse by the 2024 Eclipse website, but because it means another free day after spring break. 

While the prospect of a day added to the break has students excited, the school has not disclosed any information regarding “eclipse day” during the weeks leading up to spring break. The Fulton County Schools website says nothing about this (the eclipse isn’t even marked on its April calendar), and neither does the Cambridge website — even the morning announcements did not list any information regarding the eclipse. 

“It was not specified anywhere,” Wren said. 

Although Wren heard of this decision through word of mouth, some students hadn’t heard of it at all until asked about it. 

It wasn’t until Wednesday the Cambridge Headlines—students’ daily emails—made a post regarding April 8. 

According to the Cambridge Headlines announcement, Fulton County Schools has made April 8 an excused absence day to allow students to experience this event at home. The school will not have a school-wide viewing of the eclipse and the day will exhibit a normal schedule. If a student does not show up, they are automatically excused. 

However, the front office will provide solar eclipse glasses for students and staff members to pick up on Friday before the break. For those who attend school, glasses will be provided to protect them from possible exposure. 

Most other Georgia school districts will follow this protocol, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Fulton, Clayton and Gwinnett school districts will have a normal schedule and provide eclipse glasses to students, as will City Schools of Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools (though Atlanta Public Schools is the only district listed that will be “providing educational experiences”). DeKalb school districts will have an asynchronous day and Cobb school districts will have an early release day. 

In places where the eclipse will be more intense, such as New York and Texas, some schools will be completely closed April 8, according to Fox Weather. In Texas, rural school districts in the path of totality (the area on Earth where people can see the moon completely cover the sun) are closing that day while some larger school districts are remaining open for a unique learning experience. 

And a unique experience it will be—one that won’t be seen again until 2044, according to NASA—but few students said they intend to watch the eclipse at home.  

Sophomores Lilly Easley and Gabby Edwards said they will not be at school on April 8, or don’t plan to. This was after they were asked if they knew April 8 was an excused absence day, which they didn’t.  

“If I can convince my parents, I won’t come,” Edwards said. 

However, when asked if they planned to view the eclipse from home, both said, “Probably not.” 

Out of all 28 students in biology teacher Anubha Singh’s fifth period, only two said they planned to show up to school on eclipse day. Out of the 26 who planned to stay home, only five said they would watch it. 

Wren said she wished this eclipse sighting would be handled like the 2017 eclipse.  

Last time there was an eclipse, she said, “We did something. Kids learned about it all day. Some kids went to the media center to see it. Some laid out on the football field. Now it’s an optional day.” 

For Wren, attendance is a big issue in her classes, which is why she is so against April 8 being an excused absence day. 

“They wake up late, they don’t want to take a test—they have all these reasons,” she said. “Very rarely are they actually sick.” 

Though the sky will become dark and there is still the risk of gradual and permanent eye damage, the Milton-Alpharetta area will only see a partial solar eclipse (80% coverage). According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the cities closest to the path of totality are seven hours out of Atlanta. 

“There is no logical reason why kids should not be at school,” Wren said. 

According to NASA, April 8’s solar eclipse is rumored to be “more magnificent” this year than in 2017, as the moon will lie a little closer to the earth during totality this year compared to 2017, making the eclipse appear larger in the sky. It will also have more range, at almost 122 miles wide compared to 2017’s 70-mile width, the agency said 

It will begin at roughly 1 pm, hit its peak at 3 pm and end at 4:30 pm. 

And whether students head to school or view the eclipse from home is their decision. 

But attendance continues to be an issue for teachers, according to Wren, and days like April 8 facilitate this behavior, she said.  

“They need routine,” she said, “not another day off.”