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Schools prepared for eclipse viewing

Some area schools will be using Monday’s total eclipse to teach students.

Events are planned at Parkersburg South High School and at all of Belpre City Schools. The height of the eclipse is expected to occur between 2 and 3 p.m. Monday, a time when schools are usually sending students home.

Belpre City Schools will extend the school day by 20 minutes Monday and has purchased eclipse-viewing glasses for all students and staff.

“We want to make sure we have enough time to work with the kids to stress the importance of being safe during this historic event,” said Superintendent Tony Dunn.

Dunn said officials were able to purchase more than 1,100 pairs of eclipse-viewing glasses from Lowe’s in south Parkersburg at a discounted price.

In addition to teaching students about the historical and scientific importance of the eclipse, officials opted to extend the school day in order to not have children walking and riding home during the height of the eclipse.

“The peak of the eclipse is at 2:34 p.m., and our release time for the elementary school is 2:30 p.m. We’ll release them at 2:50 p.m. instead,” Dunn said. “It’s an educational opportunity for our kids to be with our teachers, and we will send all of the kids home on the buses with their glasses, and the bus drivers will remind them not to look at the sun without proper eye protection.”

Officials have warned that severe eye damage and even blindness can occur quickly during the eclipse. West Virginia University Eye Institute issued a

warning for people to use only approved protective eye wear and to avoid looking at the sun without protection. Sunglasses will not work.

“Every time there’s an eclipse, we’ve noticed people going blind despite the safety warnings,” said Ghassan Ghorayeb, an opthamologist with the WVU Eye Institute. “Our goal this year is to really get the word out so that there will be no eye injuries in West Virginia from this eclipse.”

Parkersburg South High School will hold a school-wide assembly Monday morning to hear from a NASA employee about the significance of the eclipse. A small group of students will be invited to stay and view the eclipse at the school, officials said.

Williamstown Elementary School announced Friday it would allow parents to pick up students at 12:30 p.m. Monday if they had concerns about students heading home during the height of the eclipse. Officials asked parents to speak to their children about the dangers of looking directly at the sun.

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