At most schools in the metro Atlanta and surrounding areas, dismissal times at public schools will be delayed on Aug. 21 due to the solar eclipse.
Some schools are doing this for the safety of students and bus drivers. NASA has advised the public to avoid traveling during the eclipse. Some schools are also using this peak viewing time of the eclipse as a learning tool.
Here is a roundup of how each school district near Atlanta will handle the dismissal time on the day of the eclipse:
- Fulton – Elementary school dismissal will be delayed by 45 minutes. This will also impact middle and high schoolers who ride the bus, but walkers, car riders and drivers will be dismissed at the normal time.
- Atlanta – Delayed 30 minutes
- Gwinnett – Delayed one hour
- Cobb – Delayed 45 minutes
- Marietta City – Delayed 15 minutes
- DeKalb – Delayed one hour
- Buford City - Plans not finalized yet. Check back here for updates.
- Decatur City – Delayed by 30 minutes
- Cherokee – Delayed by 30 minutes
- Forsyth – Delayed 40 minutes
- Hall – Delayed one hour
- Rockdale – Elementary school students will be dismissed at 3 p.m. High school students will be dismissed at 3:45 p.m. Middle school students will be dismissed at 4:30 p.m.
- Bartow – Delayed 30 minutes
- Barrow – Delayed 30 minutes
- Paulding – Delayed one hour
- Douglas – Delayed 45 minutes. Parents can pick up their kids earlier, if they choose to do so.
- Clayton – Delayed 45 minutes
- Henry – Delayed one hour
- Fayette – Plans not finalized yet. Check back here for updates.
- Newton – Delayed 45 minutes
- Walton – Delayed 30 minutes
Solar eclipses can be very powerful and scientists have warned that looking directly at them can burn people's eyes. The last total solar eclipse to be seen across the United States occurred in June of 1918.
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