Solar Eclipse Information
Click HERE for more information about the eclipse.
Dear Parents and Guardians:
On August 21, 2017, parts of Nebraska will be in the path of a total solar eclipse. This is the first time since 1918 a solar eclipse will be visible on a path across the entire continental United States, and the event presents an exciting learning opportunity for our students. We plan to incorporate the eclipse into our curriculum, activities, and events of your child’s school day.
While this is an excellent learning opportunity for our students, we want to notify you of some risks associated with viewing a solar eclipse. It is not safe to view the eclipse without the proper precautionary measures. Failure to adhere to proper precautionary measures could result in permanent ocular damage and vision loss. For more information, here is a link to an explanation released by NASA: https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html.
As always, your child’s safety is a top priority for our school. In order to reduce the risk associated with viewing the eclipse, we have taken some precautionary measures. We have eclipse-safe viewing glasses that were provided by the Beatrice Chamber of Commerce and students will be required to use these to view the eclipse safely. For more information regarding the safety certification of the special viewing glasses, please visit www.eclipseglasses.com. Students will be discouraged from looking at the eclipse during its partial stages when risk of ocular damage is at its greatest. Teachers will also provide a safety lesson and instructions to students. However, despite these measures we cannot eliminate all risks associated with viewing a solar eclipse of this magnitude. Students in grades P, K, 1 and 2 will remain indoors in the elementary gym. We will open the north doors to the gym so they can see the effects of the eclipse on the north side of the school. Students in grades 3-12 will be allowed to be outside with their teachers during the event. Students should be prepared to be outside with sunscreen and a light jacket or sweatshirt. Blankets or lawn chairs may also be brought to school.
If there are any questions or concerns regarding the specific activities and procedures for the eclipse that will be incorporated into your child’s school day, please contact your child’s teacher or a school administrator for more details. Parents and guardians who do not feel comfortable allowing their children to take part in viewing the eclipse will be permitted to withhold their child from all or part of school that day, and we will excuse those absences on your child’s record. We will also provide a means to allow your child to make up any missed instructional time and classwork if they are absent for some or all of that day. If your child attends school that day, he or she will be included in the eclipse viewing activities we have planned. Diller-Odell Public Schools is excited to offer this fun cooperative learning opportunity to students for this rare event!
Sincerely,
Mike Meyerle, Superintendent