Citing safety reasons, school leaders announced students in the Bradley County school system will be dismissed early April 8 for a partial solar eclipse that will take place in the afternoon around the same time classes dismiss.
Elementary schools will dismiss at 11 a.m. and secondary schools at 11:30 a.m., according to a statement from the school system.
"This precautionary measure aims to prioritize the safety of our school community while still allowing students the opportunity to experience this astronomical event in a protected environment," the statement issued a month ahead of the celestial event states.
(READ MORE: Eclipse Tips: Where to go, what to take)
The partial solar eclipse will begin at 1:46 p.m. April 8 in Cleveland, reaching its maximum coverage at 3:05 p.m. and concluding with the sun becoming fully visible again at 4:21 p.m., officials said.
While the path of "totality" — the dark sunless shadow that will carve a 150-mile wide path from Mexico to the U.S. Northeast and will last up to 4 minutes or more — will be seen only by those directly in the moon's shadow, a partial solar eclipse will be visible to anyone in the lower 48 states and those in the path of totality before and after the deepest shadow passes, according to NASA. Tennessee's northwestern tip will be clipped by the edge of totality lasting for 90 to 120 seconds. Some locations within the path of totality will experience up to 4 minutes or more of darkness, but most people across the nation will experience a partial eclipse, which is dangerous to view without proper eye protection.
"It is crucial for all members of the school community to be aware of the potential dangers associated with viewing the eclipse without proper eye protection," Bradley school officials say in the statement. "To ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff, Bradley County Schools emphasizes the importance of using protective eclipse glasses when observing the celestial phenomenon. It's essential to note that regular sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection, and looking at the sun with the naked eye can cause severe eye damage."
Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun's bright disk, it is not safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing, according to federal officials.
"Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury," officials at the federal agency said in online eclipse information.
When the most recent total solar eclipse occurred across the U.S. in August 2017, Cleveland was inside the path of totality and was among Tennessee cities inundated by observers that afternoon. Chattanooga was just south of the path of totality that time.
According to eclispe2024.org, April's partial solar eclipse in Cleveland will reach about 89% of totality, meaning a brilliant sliver of the sun's disc will peer around its nighttime counterpart. Chattanooga's partial eclipse will reach about 90%.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.