This was originally published by the South Jersey Times Editorial Board.

Just because a once-and-possibly-future president was reckless enough to stare at an eclipse without proper eyewear, doesn’t mean your kids are that dumb, too.

Yet, that’s what must be behind a growing movement to dismiss public schools early because of next Monday afternoon’s solar eclipse. More precisely, this idea seems to be spurred by school districts’ fear of liability if a student damages their eyes by keeping them naked during the big show in the sky.

On Aug. 21, 2017, the president did eventually put on protective glasses while viewing a solar eclipse at the White House, but not until after considerable time had elapsed and an aide hollered “Don’t look!” Actually, it wasn’t much different from how the same president handled another threat to safety that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.

Before this becomes too deep a partisan dive, know that eye experts say that looking directly at the sun for any length of time — except during the very brief period on April 8 that the moon completely hides the sun — can cause blurry vision, blindness that may be permanent and retinal burns.

What you and your children need to do to view the spectacle safely is don the right kind of specs. They often look like disposable sunglasses or 3-D ones, but NASA says they are really quite different and darker. Many agencies have issued warnings to beware of fake versions, often obtained online. Get only the ones that meet a standard called ISO 12312-2.

Now, is there a reason why school districts couldn’t have obtained such eyewear well in advance of next week’s eclipse? These astronomical events don’t sneak up on us; date and time details have been available for years.

No. It’s apparently better, in the minds of school administrators in places like Cherry Hill and Pennsauken to set the kids loose, sending them home early whether or not any responsible adult is there to monitor youthful eclipse watching. Eye damage? Make no mistake, the school can’t be at fault if the children aren’t allowed to be in school.

The eclipse is a big deal, for sure, but it doesn’t quite fall into the category that youngsters must be mandated to celebrate it with parents during the school day. Most students have just come back from week-long spring recess. The last thing they need is another instructional schedule disruption, especially since learning loss related to COVID-19 is still an active concern.

This is an event, for all of its historical importance, whose main show will last barely an hour in New Jersey, with the peak at 3:25 p.m. While that may interfere with some normal dismissal times, the key word is “normal;” parents know the normal time to pick up their kids or receive them from the bus. Half days, especially those that are hastily announced, screw up parents’ work schedules and after-school care arrangements.

There is also the indisputable argument raised by one parent from Livingston, Essex County, quoted in a NJ Advance Media article, saying the eclipse “seems like a great science lesson rather than an excuse to send home early.”

Yes, it is a “great science lesson.” Who better to impart it in real time than trained educators? Parents have less expertise, unless their names are Neil deGrasse Tyson or Ira Flatow.

In addition to Livingston, Cherry Hill and Pennsauken, Burlington Township, and Shore Regional High School in Monmouth County are having half-days. More districts will likely join them before Monday.

Eclipse aside, the expansion of official and semi-official excuses for children not to be in school is somewhat troubling.

For years, Major League Baseball has issued excuse letters “from work/school/general activities” that fans wishing to attend their team’s opening day can complete and forward to the appropriate employer, school attendance office, etc. Cute, yes, but aren’t we really devaluing education and productivity here? Opening day “happens every spring,” to paraphrase the name of a great 1940s baseball movie. It’s not a one-off, like a victory parade for a team that never wins a title.

Like the start of baseball season, total solar eclipses, while rare, come around again. The next one is Aug. 23, 2044. Many adults now alive, including Donald Trump (unless he starts taking better care of himself) won’t be around to view it. But your school-age children will. Some advice to school administrators: Save the date, and start preparing to keep the kids in class now.