County EMA: Schools should take day off for 2024 eclipse

Trying to hammer out the calendar for next school year, one specific date has vexed Wellington Superintendent Ed Weber — April 8, 2024. That's the day a total solar eclipse is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to Lorain County, roughly tripling its population. Busing could be a nightmare that afternoon due to predictions of clogged roads, Weber told the Wellington Board of Education on Tuesday night. To head off that problem, the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency is recommending all area schools close the day of the eclipse. "You don't want children stranded on a school bus because the bus can't get through," EMA Director Jessica Fetter said in an interview Wednesday. During the "Great American Blackout" of 2017, students were stranded in buses for hours as traffic came to a standstill in Tennessee, Kentucky and other states that attracted eclipse-seekers, she said. Fetter said she plans to work with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Turnpike Commission to make sure those problems don't happen here on April 8, 2024. Keeping highways open to emergency vehicles is a top priority, she said — but cities and towns are likely to have similar headaches. Take Avon Lake: The Ohio Emergency Management Agency has pinpointed it as the top spot in the state likely to draw tourists, because it's the point in Ohio where the eclipse will be visible for the longest duration. An interactive map on the Ohio EMA's website already recommends public parks for viewing the eclipse. Avon Lake's Blesser Field, Inwood Park and Belle Road Park as well as the Avon Lake Reservation Metro Park are potential destinations. Bob Scott, superintendent of the Avon Lake Schools, said his district already has decided to give students the day off. "It's going to be an event," he said, voicing worries about the risks bus riders, car riders and walkers would experience that day if classes were held as normal. "… I think it will be better to work with the city and make sure that everybody can stay home and be safe." Some of the district's buildings will be used as sites for safe eclipse-watch parties, Scott said. Avon Lake Schools have offered to allow the city to use its buses to block off roads, he said. That's because planners are expecting "a crush of people" to try to drive to the Lake Erie shoreline. "And we've done enough events to know that's not good," Scott said. The district also has already ordered enough eclipse glasses to give to its 4,000 students and their families. The extremely dark disposable glasses allow people to look directly at the solar event without damaging their eyes. Just to the south, Avon Schools preemptively moved to cancel classes the day of the eclipse, Superintendent Ben Hodge said. Spring break, which was already on the calendar, has been extended by a day to make it work, he said. Midview Schools, one of the most rural districts in the county, relies almost entirely on busing. Even though it doesn't sit on a major highway, and he doesn't anticipate heavy traffic, Superintendent Bruce Willingham said he does not want to take unnecessary risks. He'll probably err on the side of caution and ask the school board to close for the day. Amherst Schools is on the far west side of the county, and is likely to be bombarded by traffic from Route 2 and the Ohio Turnpike. Superintendent Michael Molnar confirmed the district has not decided to cancel school. Unlike some of his peers, he said the eclipse could be a "very important and educational event" for students to tackle in classes. That might mean having a nontraditional day that revolves entirely around the eclipse, with kids outside skygazing. Or, Molnar said, it could also mean a shortened school day. Either way, he said Amherst will rely on advice from state and local authorities to make its final decision. Michael Zeiler, an eclipse cartographer who runs GreatAmericanEclipse.com, said he agrees with the EMA's advice to close schools. Traffic will be heavy, but his opinion is that families should enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime event together. "During the 2017 eclipse, some schools were, in my opinion, overly cautious about allowing students to observe the eclipse," he said Wednesday. "Because of the fear of litigation, some administrators chose not to allow any students the opportunity to see totality, the most amazing sight anyone will ever see in the sky. Families can and should make that decision instead of an administrator and by following simple and common sense guidelines, children can safely see this spectacle which will impact them positively for life." The Ohio Department of Education is urging schools statewide to begin making plans. "Millions of tourists are expected to descend on the state with a likely side effect being serious traffic congestion and supply shortages," it said in a 2022 release notifying districts of the eclipse. "Mark the date and begin planning now for opportunities to participate in this historic event." Fifty-five of Ohio's 88 counties will experience "totality," falling entirely within the shadow of the moon as it passes in front of the sun in the midafternoon on April 8, 2024. Outside that 124-mile-wide band of complete darkness, Ohio's remaining 33 counties will have a partial eclipse. "Viewers should be prepared for unusual events like noticeable temperature drops and unexpected animal behavior," the Education Department warns. "Bats may emerge, spiders break down their webs or animals stop daytime activities to return to resting places." The eclipse is 15 months away, but the Lorain County EMA isn't waiting that long to start preparing. Fetter is putting together a planning team to brace for the worst the eclipse traffic could bring. Its first meeting is tentatively slated for March. Working from state guidance, it will focus on curbing traffic and directing tourists to public areas such as parks. Fetter said she wants to market the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington as a prime viewing location, though she hasn't yet pitched the idea to the fair board. In the months to come, she plans to roll out a tabletop exercise designed to go through every scenario that could cause problems during and around the eclipse date. For example, a major spring storm could cause havoc if it were to move in and take down power lines that day, Fetter said. "It's April in Northeast Ohio. So who knows what it's going to be like," she said. The 2024 eclipse will cross 13 states from Texas to New Hampshire, with the moon's shadow entering Lorain County just before 2 p.m. It will be the first total solar eclipse for Ohio since 1806. The next won't happen until 2444. Viewers in Northeast Ohio got to see about 80 percent of the sun's surface blotted out during the 2017 eclipse, which was fully visible across 16 percent of the United States' area. Jason Hawk can be reached at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.