JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County schools are preparing for the partial solar eclipse that will happen in Jacksonville on Monday. Parents received permission slips to choose how their students would view the solar eclipse on Monday.
Some schools plan to have an eclipse viewing event. Those students would need a signed permission slip to participate in the event.
Schools that are not offering a viewing event are giving parents the option to either pick up their child before or after the eclipse... or they have the option to keep their child home from school for an excused absence.
MORE: How to prepare for viewing the solar eclipse
“I got a 12-year-old and I got this nine-year-old, they’re both going to stay home,” Rennatte Beaufort said.
Beaufort said she’s keeping her kids home on Monday as a precaution. She’s also thankful the district gave parents a choice on what to do that day.
Megan Whitaker has a 7th and 9th grader enrolled in Duval County schools. She was still weighing her options on Thursday but said she wasn’t planning on keeping them home.
“I think it’s important they need to go to school. I guess if practices after school are canceled, we’ll decide what to do then. But they’ll go to school, and then we’ll see what to do with them after,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker and Beaufort were taking the opportunity to ensure their kids knew about the dangers of looking at the sun during an eclipse.
RELATED: Where to get Eclipse Glasses
“I let them know that it’s about the earth rotating and the sun passing each other at one time and kind of give them some inspiration or education of what’s going on,” Beaufort said.
Whitaker said they still own their glasses from a previous eclipse.
“I thought about maybe even sending them to school with them and maybe sending out the extra glasses we have, maybe to the science teachers and letting them talk about the importance of wearing the glasses with the teachers too.”
The permissions slips are due Friday, April 5.
For more information on the eclipse from the school board, visit dcps.duvalschools.org. The permission slips are also posted on that website.
St. Johns County schools will not have organized viewing activities and students will be kept inside. Parents also have the option to keep their child at home or request early dismissal. Those absences will be excused.
Bradford County schools will move all outdoor activities indoors starting at 1:30 p.m. Parents who want to pick their students up early can start at noon.