MTSU to distribute solar eclipse glasses to help K-12 students witness event

MTSU will be distributing solar eclipse glasses donated by Turner Construction to students of Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City schools to safely witness the Aug. 21 event.

Middle Tennessee State University will be providing 50,000 solar eclipse glasses for students and staff of a County Schools serving around 44,000 to 45,000 children next year, district spokesman James Evans said. 

"We want to allow as many students as possible to witness," said Evans, who noted how teachers will prepare lesson plans to help students grasp the significance of a solar eclipse in science, math, language arts, social studies and other subjects. 

MTSU Physics and Astronomy Department Chairman Ron Henderson said he will be delivering the solar eclipse glasses to the administration offices for both public school districts to distribute out the campuses.

"We're super excited about the event because it's once in a lifetime," Henderson said. "We are doing all we can to get the public involved." 

County Board of Education officials discussed the solar eclipse plans during their Tuesday night work session.

Students will be able to keep the solar eclipse glasses

The county district will be providing parents with permission forms to sign to allow their children to participate in the solar eclipse activities, said Richard Zago, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. 

The Aug. 21 eclipse is supposed to last 55 seconds from about 1:29 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., said Evans, who noted that a partial phase of the event will be going on between noon and 3 p.m. 

The students will be able to take the solar eclipse glasses home and keep them as memorabilia, Zago said.  

Board member Aaron Holladay also urged the district to make allowances for students serving detentions to witness what could be a once in a lifetime event.

Holladay also suggested that parents be informed that the district is providing a safe way to witness the solar eclipse while their children are in school.

"Our we prepared to have parent involvement?" Holladay asked the administrators to consider. "Would we welcome it? Would we encourage it?" 

City schools train staff for solar eclipse lessons

Like the county, city schools faculty and staff look forward to joining their students in witnessing the eclipse thanks to the assistance of Henderson, district spokeswoman Lisa Trail said.

"MTSU has been very gracious and enthusiastic regarding the solar eclipse," Trail said. "They are providing glasses to all of our students and staff."

MTSU has already conducted three in-services (teacher training and organizational days) regarding the eclipse for several staff members of city schools, said Trail, whose district served about 8,600 children by the end of the past school year. 

"Our teachers will be relying heavily on the curriculum they develop for the solar eclipse," Trail said. "It's easy to get excited when you speak with Dr. Henderson and his colleagues. It will be an amazing day."

MTSU has other plans to celebrate and witness the solar eclipse at a campus with a $147 million Science Building that opened in 2014 to offer more than 250,000 square feet of space, as well as older science buildings that have been recently renovated. 

Reach Scott Broden at 615-278-5158. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.