Rutherford County Schools will be closed April 8th during the solar eclipse. Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan says the system looked at several options and believe using a stockpile day is the best one for safety of the children.

While our area won't be in the path of totality like the 2017 eclipse, it will be about 94-percent and safety glasses will be necessary to view it.

Sullivan says the timing is the biggest reason with the eclipse beginning around 12:45pm and continuing until nearly 3:30pm. During that time, most of the schools would be in dismissal for most of the elementary and middle schools.

The county will be left with two stockpile days for the year after using one for the eclipse.