As Central Indiana prepares for the area's first visible total solar eclipse in nearly 820 years, the Carmel Clay School Board has moved to change next year's spring break in light of the phenomenon.
The school board voted unanimously Feb. 27 to keep students at home on April 8, 2024, when the total solar eclipse will darken the sky above Indianapolis.
Spring break typically runs Friday to Friday. According to the 2023-24 school calendar, break next year will start Monday, April 1 and students will return to school Tuesday, April 9. March 29 will be a regular school day.
School dismissal times in Carmel will coincide with the viewing time for the eclipse; traffic concerns contributed to the decision not to hold school that day, according to the calendar proposal.
"The line of total darkness will go right through Carmel, Indiana," CCS Superintendent Michael Beresford said at the meeting. "We think that it's probably a good idea to get that day off."
Indiana did not sit in the direct path of 2017's total solar eclipse, which spanned 14 states, although the eclipse was visible in the area. Central Indiana, however, is considered among the best places from which to view the eclipse.More than half a million people to 2 million people are expected to be in the city and surrounding areas, Beresford said.
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According to NASA, the partial eclipse will begin around 1:50 p.m. EST. The total eclipse should be visible at around 3:06 p.m. The eclipse should disappear by about 4:23 p.m.
Totality, or when the sun's surface is covered by the moon, is expected to start at 3:06 p.m. and last about 3 minutes and 49 seconds in Indianapolis.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth completely blocking the sun's face, according to NASA. When the eclipse reaches totality, the sun will be completely blocked, which will allow viewers to remove eye protection for a very brief period until the partial eclipse phases persist again.
Staring at the sun during a partial eclipse can cause damage to the retinas.Other school districts are still mulling whether to adjust their calendar because of the eclipse.
In 2022, neighboring Hamilton Southeastern's school board approved a calendar for next year that included a spring break that has students returning to school the Monday of the eclipse. Last spring district staff shared that as the date drew nearer they might opt to adjust the schedule.
Following next year's total solar eclipse, another total solar eclipse is not expected to happen until 2044.
IndyStar archives contributed to this report.
Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.
