Oxford Schools Moving To Plan B As Proper Eclipse Eyewear Fails To Arrive

Eclipse day has finally arrived, and people all over the country are finding ways to witness the historic event, including Oxford schools. Oxford Middle School is the only school in the Oxford district that received their specialized glasses in time for the event. Students at Oxford High School, Della Davidson Elementary, Bramlett Elementary, Oxford Elementary and Oxford Intermediate will be watching the eclipse from the comfort of their classrooms, as they either didn’t receive their glasses in time or the glasses they did receive weren’t verified for usage.
Students at Oxford High School, Della Davidson Elementary, Bramlett Elementary, Oxford Elementary and Oxford Intermediate will be watching the eclipse from the comfort of their classrooms, as they either didn’t receive their glasses in time or the glasses they did receive weren’t verified for usage.
“I’m guessing that a lot of schools and organizations are probably having a similar issue because it seems like everyone at the same time wanted to make this happen. It’s almost like shipping at Christmas time with everyone trying to order these glasses at once,” Oxford High’s Principal Bradley Roberson, said. 
While Oxford High was hoping the glasses would arrive in time, Roberson chose to look at the bright side for his school’s plan b.
“Our school will watch it on NASA’s live website. Part of me thinks that may be a better experience anyway because NASA is covering it from a 360-degree view, and of course there’s no risk at all,” Roberson said. “This is certainly a valuable learning experience for all of our students, and we’re excited to take part in it in some fashion today.”
Roberson did say that if students have their glasses, they will be able to go outside at the proper time as long as their glasses are verified by the school before exiting the building.
Two of Oxford High’s science teachers traveled to Nashville, Tennesse to view to eclipse. Nashville will have the most total coverage of the sun during the rare occurrence
Those around Oxford hoping to find eclipse glasses may be out of luck. HottyToddy.com visited and called several local eye doctors, none of which had any of the glasses for sale.
Students on the Ole Miss campus can head over to The J.D. Williams Library for a  viewing in the Quadrangle between the library and the Phi Mu Fountain. The Department of Physics and Astronomy will also have a viewing location between Lewis Hall and the Lyceum.
The library will have glasses available for public use, and the physics department will have telescopes with the proper filters available.
The eclipse will take place from 11:54 a.m. and carry on through 2:52 p.m., but the time for Oxonians to view it will be around 1:30 p.m. Maximum coverage of the sun will happen at 1:24 p.m.
*Do not look into the sun without the proper eyewear. For more information, click here. 
For those worried about their furry friends, Dr. Heaton at the Animal Clinic of Oxford said that if owners are concerned about their pets that they should bring them inside, but she said that pets don’t typically look up at the sun. 

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Steven Gagliano is the managing editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com.