A dramatic increase in confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus has forced the  Tuscaloosa County School System to switch to a modified schedule for the remaining week of the fall semester.

TCSS will move to an A/B schedule for all on-campus learners beginning Monday, December 14th. Students will be divided into two groups, with each attending classes on a designated schedule as outlined below:

A Group

  • Monday, December 14 & Tuesday, December 15: Attend School On-Campus
  • Wednesday, December 16 & Thursday, December 17: Remote Learning Days

B Group

  • Monday, December 14 & Tuesday, December 15: Remote Learning Days
  • Wednesday, December 16 & Thursday, December 17: Attend School On-Campus

All students will engage in remote learning on Friday, December 18th. Buses will run on their normal schedules; however, extended day programs will not be available the week of December 14th.

Parents and students will be notified of amended exam schedules and receive their group assignments later this week.

TCSS says the decision to transition to a modified schedule is due to an increase in COVID-19 related absences among its faculty and staff.

"[T]he severity of the situation has recently increased, with greater absence numbers, spread across more schools at one time. While we have worked to develop the largest substitute pool our system has ever had, the same quarantine and isolation issues that are impacting our employees are impacting substitute availability," TCSS said via an official release Tuesday, December 8th.

TCSS says the modified schedule will also allow for greater social distancing among students.

The Alabama Department of Public Health's K-12 COVID-19 Dashboard notes 87 confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus within the County School System last week, one of the highest counts statewide.

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