County, City Schools Mull Recommendations As Virus Cases Surge

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa area schools are gearing up for a return to in-person instruction in the coming weeks, which coincides with a noticeable spike in new coronavirus cases, low demand for the vaccine and a reluctance among state officials to reimplement public health guidelines that were allowed to expire when cases flattened over the summer.

On Monday, Patch reported on the sharp rise in new coronavirus patients requiring critical care in Tuscaloosa, with DCH Health System logging 22 total inpatients it its ICU, compared to 10 at the same point last week. Additionally, the three-hospital system recorded total of 86 coronavirus-positive individuals receiving inpatient care to begin this week — the most since early February.

ALSO READ: 'Largely Avoidable': What To Know About Latest Virus Surge At DCH

In the latest update, the Tuscaloosa County School System — with its roughly 19,000 students —says visitors will not be allowed into facilities during the first two days of school, in an effort to minimize crowds and maintain security of its buildings. This comes as coronavirus hospitalizations statewide hit 1,694 on Tuesday.

Unchanged from the start of last school year, TCSS parents and guardians will be allowed to escort their students onto campus and to the front door of the school, before school staff will greet the student and help them to their classroom.

TCSS spokesperson Terri Brewer stressed that the the visitor policy is the same from the previous school year and intended only to cut down on crowds in close contact.

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What's more, both the county and city school systems have expressed that they will recommend, but not mandate, masks for students and teachers when in-person learning resumes — a pair of decisions that have been met with a mixed response from the community.

Despite face-covering recommendations by the state health department in the ADPH toolkit, Gov. Kay Ivey has stopped well short of telegraphing any possibility for a renewed public mask mandate that would give schools the green light to reimplement their own masking requirements.

As Patch previously reported, both systems will be deferring primarily to guidelines set out by the Alabama Department of Public Health toolkit for schools. The latest update was made public late last week and stuck by previous recommendations for masks, social distancing and quickly identifying cases once symptoms begin to appear.

ADPH State Medical Officer and Pediatrician Dr. Karen M. Landers points out that with low vaccination rates in Alabama, it will be only a matter of a few weeks after school resumes before the state sees a rise in cases in the educational system.

She then stressed the impact coronavirus can have in children, with at least 108 children in Alabama being diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) — a rare, but serious, condition associated with the virus.

"The most important way to reduce COVID-19 in children is for those who are age eligible, 12 years of age and older, to be vaccinated with one of the available COVID-19 vaccines," Landers said. "If persons are not vaccinated, they should correctly and consistently wear masks, wash hands, social distance, and follow other preventive measures."

Click here to see the updated ADPH toolkit.

TCSS Superintendent Keri Johnson said in a letter to parents and the community that at this time, the school system continues to move forward as it did last year, operating under the guidance of any current Alabama COVID-19 public health or mask order.

"In the event that another health order is issued, we would follow the guidance of that order," Johnson said. "With two weeks left before the start of school, the COVID-19 situation could certainly change."

Tuscaloosa City Schools Superintendent Mike Daria said on Monday that, based on the district's early review of the ADPH toolkit, mask-wearing and vaccinations offer the best chance to keep its 11,000 students in school five days a week. However, masks will not be mandated for students and faculty.

"We recognize that this is something our community has told us that is important," Daria told parents and the community," he said. "Further, it appears that following the guidance of the toolkit will decrease the number of quarantines students may be required to take."

He went on to say Tuscaloosa City Schools does not anticipate having to move away from in-person learning five days a week. Daria went on to say the city's next step will steps will include presenting its findings to the Board of Education on Aug. 12 after reviewing the toolkit.

"By working together, we can give our students the best chance of starting and remaining in school during this year," he said.

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