Mike Wolanin | The Republic Central Middle School student Ananya Ramanujapuram, bottom left, Ritisha Rashmil, upper left, and Sruthika Gangisetty watch the solar eclipse on Monday.
COLUMBUS, ind. — Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board has voted to reschedule a professional development day to coincide with the 2024 total solar eclipse.
The school corporation had previously scheduled March 28, 2024 — the Thursday before Good Friday — as a professional development (PD) day for staff, with no classes in session.
However, the professional development day will now occur on April 8, 2024, the date of the eclipse.
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Gina Pleak explained at a previous meeting that the time of totality, for Columbus, would be close to each school’s dismissal time. The concern from city and county officials is that visitors from all over the country will be coming in to view the eclipse, and the phenomenon is expected to halt movement on roadways.
“It is something that people want to come and be part of,” she said. “And we’ll be welcoming many guests to our community on that day.”
While Columbus did not see a total eclipse in 2017, it will in 2024. Indiana University has reported that its campuses in Columbus, Indianapolis and Bloomington are all in the path of totality. NASA maps show that the total eclipse will occur at 3:05 p.m. in Bloomington and 3:10 p.m. in Indianapolis.
The totality lasts up to about 4 minutes and 28 seconds depending on a viewer’s location within the path. According to the Great American Eclipse, the totality will last about 3 minutes and 50 seconds in Columbus.
NASA officials have said that after the April 2024 eclipse, there will not be another total solar eclipse that is visible from the contiguous United States until Aug. 23, 2044.
