Some New York Schools Are Closed April 8th, Here’s Why

An interesting reason has led select New York schools to give students and staff the day off on April 8th.

Almost every calendar year many school districts across New York will entertain some sort of discussion regarding the days kids have off from school. Oftentimes the discussions among parents and educators will include adding or in some cases subtracting the days kids are given off from school.

Days Off From School in New York

You've heard the arguments about whether school should be closed the Monday after the Super Bowl. Should kids have off on Sept 11th every year? How about kids having the day off from school to watch the solar eclipse? As a parent with kids still in school, I've heard arguments for the first two and agree that 9/11 should be a day off from school and work so that we never forget the awful events that took place on September 11, 2001, but a day off to watch a solar eclipse?

New York School Districts Closed for Eclipse

If you haven't heard about the "total solar eclipse" yet, it's supposed to happen on Monday, April 8th, and is expected to be visible along a "narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine" according to NASA.

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The total eclipse won't fully be visible across the Hudson Valley but NASA is saying that it will be fully visible in Buffalo, New York and because of that students in school districts in Western New York are being given the day off so they can not only view the eclipse from home but also avoid all of the traffic the area is expecting according to New York Upstate.

Western New York is expecting a massive influx of tourists in the area on April 8th as many try to view the total eclipse. Erie County alone is preparing for up to one million tourists to enter the region to try and see the historic eclipse and due to traffic concerns, the Buffalo City School District announced earlier this year that they are giving its approximately 32,000 students and staff April 8.

Buffalo isn't the only district giving kids the day off, as 27 of Erie County’s 28 public school districts also list April 8th as a day off.

READ MORE: Hudson Valley Schools That Are Closed/Dismissing Early for the Eclipse

When Will the Solar Eclipse be Visible in New York?

The path of the eclipse is expected to cross over New York in the afternoon of April 8th and although the Hudson Valley will probably only get a partial eclipse (if we can even see it...LOL) the moon is expected to be completely black out the sun over Buffalo at 3:18 p.m. leaving a "glowing corona ring" around the moon.

An event like this hasn’t occurred in the region since 1925 and if you miss it you'll probably never get another chance because it's not expected to happen again until 2144.