Solar Eclipse: "No Plans" To Delay Dismissal In Cherokee Schools

CANTON, GA -- Despite area school districts making the call to delay dismissing some of its students when the solar eclipse crosses Georgia, officials in Cherokee County won't be doing the same.

Barbara Jacoby, spokesperson with the system, said there are "no plans" to delay releasing students on Monday, Aug. 21.

"If parents choose to keep their student home for the day or pick their student up early to experience the eclipse together, the absence will be unexcused, but without penalty," she added.

The decision by CCSD comes on the heels of Cobb, Gwinnett, Forsyth and Fulton county schools all deciding to delay dismissing its students on that day. The Aug. 21 phenomenon will, no doubt, have thousands flocking to areas in extreme northeast Georgia and Tennessee to witness the eclipse in action. Georgia State Parks officials said campsites and cabins have been sold out for months, and only a few slots at state parks have accommodations available.

The last coast-to-coast solar eclipse in the U.S. occurred in 1918, according to NASA. If you are in the path of totality, you will be able to witness a total solar eclipse, which involves the moon completely covering the sun. The path of totality will stretch from Salem, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina.

"Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk," NASA states on its website.

Residents in the Atlanta are expected to see the partial eclipse during the early afternoon hours on Aug. 21.

Here are some community solar eclipse resources you can peruse at your leisure to learn more about this historic day.

• An interactive eclipse map that allows to select your location and see the calculated eclipse times and duration of annularity for that location.
• The American Astronomical Society has created How to Safely Watch a Solar Eclipse and has posted eclipse glasses and social viewer information.
• NASA will post a 4-hour, 30-minute live webcast of the total solar eclipse.
• For more information and resources visit the NASA site on the eclipse.

Image via Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images News/Getty Images

###a>