Middle School mother upset kids will not be allowed outside during eclipse

A missed opportunity, that's what a mother of Lake Travis Middle School students said about not letting students outside on Monday during the solar eclipse.

"We can teach these kids safety in gym class, we can teach them lab safety for science, they all sign those forms every year, how in the world as an education institution can we not teach our kids safety for viewing the eclipse." Liz Fowler said her jaw hit the floor when she got this email from the principal of Lake Travis Middle School:

"Dear LTMS Parents and Guardians,

As you may already know, on Monday, August 21, North America will experience an eclipse of the sun. According to NASA, the path where the moon will completely cover the sun will stretch from Oregon to South Carolina. Observers outside this path can expect to see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk. While this event will present a unique educational experience, our commitment to student safety is paramount. As a result, district administration has provided the following protocols for our campus on Monday, August 21:

It is our hope this event will serve as a wonderful experience for our students in a safe and secure environment. We appreciate your understanding and support. "

Fowler said she even sent her two middle schoolers to school with shoe boxes sure they would make their own eclipse viewers just like she did back in 1979. She sent this letter to the school district asking them to reconsider allowing students to go outside and watch the celestial event:

Marco Alvarado is with the Lake Travis Independent School District, "After looking at this very closely we know this is going to be an incredible educational opportunity for our students, but we can't overlook student safety." He said with 10,200 students across nine different campuses and fake glasses circulating they couldn't take the risk. "Just by looking at it for two seconds, you can damage your eye, permanent damage. We know that there are many reports of these fake glasses or counterfeit glasses so rather than risking our students, we said let's take the upmost precaution, and not allow students outdoors with these glasses during that time," he said.

Alvarado said it's up to principals and teachers to decide if going outside with the pinhole shoebox is an option for a science class or a lesson they may be working on. The other option for teachers is staying inside and watching the eclipse live on the NASA feed. Fowler said it's a missed opportunity not seeing this rare event with their own eyes, protected of course. "It strikes me as kind of bizarre that for my kids to have this educational opportunity I actually have to take them out of school, it doesn't make any sense
What about the parents who can't get off work, it's not right, it's not fair to the kids," Fowler said.