Wayside Schools Close Due to Solar Eclipse Traffic Concerns

Wayside Schools, including Sci-Tech High School and Altamira Academy on the Bradshaw campus, have announced that they will be closed on Monday, April 8th, in response to warnings from the Texas Department of Transportation and Travis County Emergency Management regarding potential gridlock on the I-35 corridor during the solar eclipse.

The decision to cancel classes aligns with several other school districts in the South Austin area, such as Del Valle ISD, Hays CISD, Lake Travis ISD, and Marble Falls ISD, all of which have cited safety concerns as the primary reason for the closure.

In a statement released on their social media page, Wayside Schools expressed their regret for the late notice, stating, “While we hoped to share this learning experience with our students on Monday at school, updated information suggests scholars and families will likely have extreme difficulty getting to and from school safely due to an influx of traffic in our area, resulting in the possibility of families and scholars getting stranded at bus stops, roadways or on campus.”

To ensure that students can still safely view the eclipse, Wayside Schools will be providing all students with eclipse viewing glasses to take home. Classes are set to resume on April 9th.