JCPS has decided to delay middle and high school dismissal for 21 minutes for the eclipse on Aug. 21, which means school will end at 2:41 p.m., but elementary school will end at the usual time.

“Students and staff will be able to be outside for the eclipse for instructional opportunity if the school provides proper safety equipment and follows safety procedures,” an email from JCPS said, according to Principal Jerry Mayes.

“We’re so early in the school year. We want to get you guys into a regular schedule, so we’re not going to make any big plans to adjust other than the dismissal point,” Mayes said.

For students to miss school to see the eclipse, they must turn in an educational opportunity form to their school by August 18 in order for their absences to be excused, according to JCPS.

On page nine of the handbook in Manual’s 2017-2018 agenda there is a guide to educational enrichment that states that school staff will mark the absent student as present in school just as a field trip would and students must have a 3.0 or higher GPA and no unexcused absences to take advantage of this opportunity.

To view the eclipse safely, it is best to use special eclipse glasses that allow people to view the sun without hurting their eyes.

NASA said that glasses should “have certification information with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard” and “have the manufacturer’s name and address printed somewhere on the product.”

NASA also said that viewers should not wear glasses older than three years, glasses with damaged lenses and glasses with homemade filters.

Other school districts have come up with alternative methods of dealing with the eclipse.

Fayette County Public Schools, the school district of the next most populated county in Kentucky, has decided to cancel school on August 21 according to Lexington Herald-Leader.

Mayes said that Manual is “just going to follow whatever the District’s plan is.”