TCSS To Consider Additional COVID-19 Leave For Employees

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County School System employees could soon see additional paid COVID-19 leave, if the County Board of Education approves the measure during its regular meeting Monday night.

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According to the proposal, all TCSS employees who test positive for COVID-19 will have up to 10 additional days of paid leave to isolate. This applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees.

It's important to point out that TCSS employees who were hired before Oct. 1, 2020, who did not use or fully exhaust their 10 days of leave under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act during the 2020-2021 school year will also have the balance of those days available to them to quarantine, isolate, or recover.

If passed, the new COVID-19 leave will be retroactive from Aug. 5 - Oct. 31. Superintendent Keri Johnson and the Board of Education will review pandemic data prior to that date to determine whether or not to extend the leave past that time.

Lastly, the proposal makes clear the leave will not be paid for "COVID-19 childcare-related purposes."

As of the most recent data published by the school system late last week, a total of four employees were actively positive for the virus. Systemwide, 43 of its more than 19,000 students were currently out after testing positive.

This is a developing story. Be sure to follow us for more on this after tonight's meeting.