Cornonavirus Cases Force Area School's Return To Virtual Learning

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Just days after Birmingham City Schools brought students back to campus — after beginning the 2020-21 school year online — one elementary school in the system is switching back to virtual learning temporarily due to multiple COVID-19 cases at the school.

Tuggle Elementary School reported five COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks, prompting the school system to close the building for deep cleaning.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are responding by immediately deep cleaning the building for the next two days," Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Mark Sullivan said in a statement Wednesday. "During this time faculty and staff will work remotely and all students will have virtual learning Nov. 12-13."

Sullivan said parents are also being notified by the school principal and the school system's nursing staff is conducting contact tracing.

Jefferson County reported 282 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, and confirmed 33 deaths from the virus, as new case numbers have risen in November. The county has averaged more than 200 new cases of COVID-19 each day since the beginning of the month, after averaging just 141 new cases per day in October.