Some Cullman County students will have an opportunity to watch Monday’s solar eclipse in person if their school has the proper glasses. 

Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette announced the county’s plan for the eclipse in an automated phone call to parents.  

County students in kindergarten through second grade are staying inside, and will watch the eclipse on a live stream, Barnette said. 

He said the rest of the county’s students, from third through twelfth grades, will follow the guidance of their school principals. 

Some schools have eclipse glasses, so there will be opportunities for students to safely watch outside the classroom, and if a school does not have the glasses, students will still be able to watch on a live stream, he said. 

If a school does have eclipse glasses to let students watch, the student will need to have a parent sign a permission slip before the student is allowed outside, Barnette said. 

“It’s a great opportunity for a real-life science lesson,” he said.

He said he also did want to dismiss county schools and have some young students at home without supervision during the eclipse. 

“It’s a safety issue as well,” he said. 

If a parent wants to keep their child out of school to watch it in another location, the students absence will be excused, Barnette said. 

Earlier this week, Cullman City Schools announced that they would keep all students inside during the eclipse as a safety precaution, and any student who wants to watch it away from school will also be counted as an excused absence.