November 17, 2020

From the Office of the Superintendent

I hope you and your families are safe and healthy, as we lead up to the Thanksgiving break. While we have faced many challenges this school year, and continue to do so, I am proud that we have been able to keep our school doors open since August. This is because of the actions of the outstanding educators and education support professionals in the Tuscaloosa County School System. We are grateful for how they continue to serve our community, through this very challenging time.

As it has been since the start of the school year, keeping our schools open for in-person instruction remains our goal. Our school system plans to return to school as scheduled after Thanksgiving, on Monday, November 30. I know that many of you have seen news reports of possible school closures in other parts of the country, and even temporary closures recently here in Alabama. However, keeping our schools open for in-person instruction continues to be the goal and intention of the Tuscaloosa County School System. We look forward to completing the semester in-person, after Thanksgiving.

While many of our students and faculty members have had to quarantine over the last few months, due to possible COVID-19 exposure, our overall confirmed COVID positivity rate has remained below one percent of our on-campus student population. We continue to see evidence that the precautions we are taking within our schools, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, are effective. We also know that we must be especially vigilant, with the winter months and flu season upon us.

As we have stressed since August, the help of our students and families, in fighting the spread of COVID-19 and keeping our schools open, is absolutely essential. As we move into the holidays, it is critical that we all practice health-promoting habits. Also, in this time of uncertainty, rumors and misinformation can spread quickly. We ask you to follow official sources of information from the Tuscaloosa County School System, such as our TCSS and school web sites, official social media channels, and phone calls and text messages directly from the school system. When we have an important message, we use those channels to communicate directly with you.

Our last day before the Thanksgiving break will be Friday, November 20. Our schools are closed all next week, and we return to school on Monday, November 30. We wish you a safe and restful holiday week.

Other Helpful Links:

November 12 Update on Our Schools & COVID-19

TCSS COVID-19 Data Updates