Two more school service centers have decided to postpone class days to give their students a day off in view of the total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8 in Quebec, despite the protests of the Minister of Education.
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The Mille-Îles School Service Center, which serves more than 46,000 students in 16 cities in northern Montreal, announced in an email to parents that April 8 will be declared Education Day for safety reasons.
“The risks to the eyes if [l’éclipse est] can be observed without appropriate equipment are very important. Therefore, appropriate adult supervision is required to ensure that children can watch the eclipse safely,” the service center argued.
Under these conditions, it is impossible to ensure the safety of children on the bus ride home, school authorities added.
The daycare center will remain open on this day, but parents must pick up their children indoors. No child is allowed to go home for fear of staring at the sun.
The Affluents School Service Center, which brings together around 50,000 students in Lanaudière, came to a similar conclusion on Friday.
Since school authorities were unable to “provide adequate supervision for all of our students during the eclipse,” they decided to move the school day from April 19 to April 8.
Here too, the daycare centers remain open.
Earlier this month, Education Minister Bernard Drainville urged schools to remain open during the solar eclipse and take the opportunity to educate students about this astronomical phenomenon.
Since then, the list of school service centers choosing to close their doors has continued to grow.