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The education minister says a directive that schools should “avoid holding outdoor activities” during the eclipse was badly worded and “supervised and safe outdoor activities” are allowed.
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LÉVIS — Education Minister Bernard Drainville has adjusted his directive and is inviting schools to maintain their outdoor activities during the April 8 solar eclipse.
In a press scrum at the Lévis convention centre on Monday, Drainville returned to the “guidance” transmitted to the school network in recent weeks.
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The ministry recommended in particular to “avoid holding outdoor activities … from 2:11 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.” and to arrange the premises in such a way as to “ensure the safety of students.”
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These instructions, seen as constraints, pushed several schools to review their decision to remain open all day, La Presse reported on Monday.
The situation was denounced by astronomer Pierre Chastenay and the executive director of the Association pour l’enseignement de la science et de la technologie au Québec, Camille Turcotte.
Quebec “seems to oscillate between delay and excessive caution, compromising the golden opportunity to make it a true celebration of science,” they lamented in an open letter sent to the Journal de Montréal.
Reacting first on the social network X, Drainville invited schools which had planned activities for April 8 to maintain them.
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“The directive sent should have specified that supervised and safe outdoor activities are encouraged. We will send an email to the network clarifying the situation,” he wrote.
Then, later, in a press scrum, the minister declared that he was “not satisfied with the way it came out.”
He reiterated that he wanted schools to remain open during the solar eclipse, as long as “they put safety above all else.”
Half of Quebec’s school service centres and English-language school boards intend to close, including all the ones in Montreal, particularly for school transport reasons.
“In the morning, what I read, I said to myself: ‘OK, let’s see. An outdoor activity with approved glasses makes sense’,” Drainville said. “Besides, I intend to go to a school that will organize an (external) activity. I find it hard to see myself saying that it is not a good idea to have outdoor activities with safety glasses if I participate myself.”
Twice in recent weeks, the Ministry of Education has appealed to the network for caution regarding the solar eclipse of April 8.
It recommended that schools provide “an offer of childcare or supervision services to students” during the entire period of the eclipse, that is until 4:45 p.m.
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This could lead to changes to the school transportation schedule, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.
The ministry therefore advises to “avoid a minor student leaving school during the eclipse, unless they are accompanied by a parent or duly authorized adult.”
However, “if the conditions … cannot be ensured,” schools can move to April 8 a pedagogical day already planned in the school calendar.
A solar eclipse is a very rare astronomical phenomenon during which the Moon is placed between the Earth and the Sun and completely hides the latter for a short period of time.
Without adequate protection measures, observing a partial solar eclipse, even for a few seconds, can have harmful effects on health, including loss of vision.
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