Collier schools taking safety precautions for solar eclipse Monday

Collier County Public Schools will maintain normal dismissal times Monday but are taking extra safety precautions to protect students from the partial solar eclipse in Southwest Florida. 

The partial eclipse in Collier County will begin about 1:30 p.m. and end about 4:20 p.m., which might line up with school recess, gym classes, dismissals and after-school activities. 

To ensure students' safety, the district plans to follow dismissal procedures for a "rainy day" to limit movement of students leaving school by bus or car and asks parents to use caution while driving during the eclipse.

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"It’s what we always deal with at a school district," said district spokesman Greg Turchetta. "We will talk to kids and we will talk to staff. It’s no different than a mosquito outbreak."

Collier County schools also are arranging for recess and gym classes after 1 p.m. to be held indoors Monday. 

In guidelines shared with administrators, the district said no direct viewing of the eclipse will occur at school unless it has been approved by the principal and students provide permission slips to participate. 

Collier teachers also have access to solar eclipse content from Discovery Education, one of the district's educational partners, which includes a live virtual viewing of the total eclipse. District spokeswoman Jennifer Kupiec said it is likely many classes will participate in the virtual viewing Monday afternoon.