MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Several Tri-State school districts are canceling classes for one day next April thanks to a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Middletown City School District said Tuesday it will use a calamity day on Monday, April 8 in anticipation of a total solar eclipse traveling over the area.
The total eclipse — which occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the face of the sun completely — is expected to hit Evansville, Ind. starting at 3:02 p.m. ET and travel northeast to Cleveland, Ohio by around 3:13 p.m. ET, weather permitting.
While the total eclipse only lasts a few minutes, the entire process takes several hours. Parts of Hamilton, Butler and Warren County will experience the total eclipse, while the rest of the state will see the sun at least 95% blocked.
Middletown schools said districts and municipalities experiencing the eclipse have been warned to "expect extreme demands and stresses on local infrastructure and services" as people travel to their towns to witness it.
Fairfield, Hamilton, Edgewood, Talawanda and Madison schools have also announced closures on April 8 due to the volume of people likely coming to the area.
"Because of this rare and spectacular event, it is expected that on the day of the eclipse, the local population near the eclipse's center line could triple or quadruple," Hamilton Schools Superintendent Mike Holbrook wrote in a message to parents about the closure.
Both Holbrook and Middletown school officials said their students will receive a pair of solar eclipse glasses to safely observe the eclipse.
This is the first time since 1806 Ohio will be the site of a total solar eclipse. NASA reports this will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous U.S. until 2044.
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