Cobb extending school 45 minutes during solar eclipse for child safety
The Cobb County School District announced Tuesday that it will extend classes by 45 minutes in order to keep students safe during the upcoming rare total solar eclipse.
This Aug. 21 schedule shift applies to all elementary, middle and high schools.
The “peak time to experience” the eclipse is just when elementary schools would be letting out, the district said.
Scientists have warned that looking at a solar eclipse can burn a crescent shape into the back of your eye.
"Since student safety is always our first priority we will start the day on time and delay dismissal to ensure that neither students nor employees are on the roadways during the time of the eclipse," the school system said in a statement.
Parents can still pick up their children at the regular dismissal time, the district said.
This announcement comes the day after Gwinnett schools announced it would be pushing its dismissal time back an hour as a safety precaution.
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Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.
