Solar eclipse keeps students at home but teachers will work at Mississauga, Brampton and Halton schools
Published March 4, 2024 at 1:46 pm
Many students will have the day off for the solar eclipse on April 8 but teachers will be on the job in Mississauga, Brampton and Halton Region.
Earlier this year, many school boards opted to switch Professional Activity (PA) Days to April 8 so students wouldn’t be leaving school at the time of the eclipse.
Depending on where you are in North America, the eclipse on April 8 will be visible at different times. In Hamilton, Ontario, it starts at 3:18 p.m. and continues for one minute and 46 seconds, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
The eclipse presents a safety hazard.
“Looking directly at the Sun, without appropriate protection, can lead to serious problems such as partial or complete loss of eyesight,” the Canadian Space Agency warns.
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So many school boards opted to have PA Day on April 8 for safety reasons.
Last week, Ontario’s education minister appeared to opposed this decision.
“Stop the madness,” Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said in a post on X, responding to a story about the eclipse. “Kids deserve to be in class.”
Stop the madness.
Kids deserve to be in class. https://t.co/dsXILLlubn— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) February 29, 2024
Lecce has clarified that he doesn’t want students to miss out on class time as the York Region District School Board has said they will release students early.
The Ford government has also indicated it doesn’t support a work-from-home day for teachers on April 8 as requested by the Toronto Elementary Catholic Teachers.
At this point, school boards in Halton and Peel plan on having teachers work on site as usual.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board “has no plans to move to a remote PA day on April 8,” said Bruce E. Campbell, general manager, communications and community relations in an email to insauga.com.
“We are confident that our teachers will take all necessary personal safety precautions if they are outside during the eclipse,” Campbell said. “Additionally, they are more than welcome to remain inside their school until the eclipse is over.”
A spokesperson for the Peel District School Board also confirmed teachers in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon would not be working from home that day.
The Halton District School Board said April 8 remains in-person for staff and teachers. The Halton Catholic District School Board did not immediately respond to questions from insauga.com.
The Peel and Halton school boards have moved the April 22 PA Day to April 8.
“By rescheduling the PA Day to coincide with the eclipse, we mitigate possible student transportation and safety concerns and challenges for families that could arise as a result of the darkness that would be experienced while students are being dismissed from school,” the Halton District School Board said in a press release.
School boards said the main reason for rescheduling the PA Day was for the safety of the students.
When asked about potential liability concerns, none of the school boards responded.
An expert indicated it is not clear if there are liability issues for the school boards.
Daniel Tsai, a University of Toronto Communication, Culture, Information and Technology professor told insauga.com that there is “an exception from liability if it is a core policy decision, affording immunity to governments if the criteria are met.”
Tsai said there aren’t many liability cases involving schools in Canada, and they are usually to do with snow clearing and salting of sidewalks and failure to fix potholes or similar issues.
Mike Wyseman, the president of Municipal Risk Services, told the CBC the risk of liability tied to a partial solar eclipse would be “minimal at best.”
For more information on the eclipse, see the Canadian Space Agency page here.
Lead photo: SimaGhaffarzadeh