To close or stay open? Ahead of the eclipse, Texas schools weighed logistical hurdles versus learning opportunities

Some districts will close for the day expecting traffic jams and busy city services. Others will stay open for parents who can’t find child care.

BY ANNIE XIA

APRIL 5, 202415 HOURS AGO

Next Monday, Denise Crettenden and her husband plan to hustle their fifth- and tenth-grade daughters out of bed around 4 a.m., about three hours earlier than they’re used to.

Instead of driving to school two minutes away, the family of four will travel two hours to the tiny town of Kerrville’s eclipse festival, where they hope to experience more than four minutes of eclipse totality with thousands of other visitors.

Crettenden’s kids will not be cutting class. Seguin Independent School District, along with several other Texas districts in the eclipse’s path, has scheduled April 8 off because of the astronomical event.