TCSS To Close 3 Elementary Schools Friday Amid COVID-19 Outbreaks

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County School System informed parents on Thursday that it will be closing three of its elementary schools Friday due to a high number of faculty absences and the lack of substitutes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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TCSS reported that its system-wide percentage of new cases in students was 0.97% on Thursday, while 1.04% of faculty and staff are out after testing positive for the coronavirus. This prompted the decision by TCSS to close Cottondale Elementary, Flatwoods Elementary and Holt Elementary on Friday.

The county school system also informed parents that these were the only schools impacted to the point of closure, with its other schools able to operate at their current staffing levels.

TCSS students at the impacted schools will return to the classroom on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

The news comes as the county school system's counterparts at Tuscaloosa City Schools announced the return of a systemwide mask requirement beginning next week, as concerns persist relating to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus.

DCH Health System in Tuscaloosa reported admitting 17 new COVID-19 inpatients on Thursday, bringing the system's total to 88 hospitalizations. Of those patients, 17 are being treated in the hospital's intensive care units.

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