Charter Day School closing early day of solar eclipse

We made this decision for the following reasons:
• Safety. It is recommended each child be under close parental supervision while viewing the eclipse, either with certified eye protection or other practices that do not involve direct eye exposure to the sun. Our top priority is to make sure our students avoid the potential for permanent eye damage during the event.
• Dismissal Conflict. The eclipse will reach its peak during the usual time for dismissal. Even a partial eclipse creates a potentially dangerous situation for students, who might intentionally or inadvertently try to view the event without the proper eye safety precautions.
• Traffic. The City of Wilmington has put out a severe traffic warning for that day. Given the concern that motorists might try to pay attention to the eclipse instead of other motorists and pedestrians, we think it is safer if we do not expect parents to be driving during this special event.

We are asking parents to communicate with their children the importance of following these safety precautions:
• Do not look directly at the sun during the solar eclipse, as it could be harmful to your vision.
• Do not look at the sun without proper eye protection.
• Do not look at the sun through a telescope or binoculars.
• Do not look at the sun through sunglasses, smoked glass or welder’s glasses.
• Do not look at the sun through a camera/smart phone.
We urge parents to warn their children that the only safe method to view the solar eclipse is by using special-purpose solar filters, such as certified eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewers. Please stress that homemade filters and ordinary sunglasses are NOT safe.
Above all, we want this to be a safe experience that students and their families will remember their whole lives. As always, if you have questions or need further information, please feel free to contact me at 910-265-4448.

Thank you very much,
Steve Smith