News & Announcements
- Commission Recognizes TCSS Career Technical Education Programs
- Celebrating 50 Years of Service to TCSS & Our Students
- Board to Hold Interviews January 21 for District 7 Board of Education Seat
- January 15, 2021: Latest Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- TCSS Seeks Candidates for Position of Chief School Financial Officer
- TCSS to Implement Two-Hour Delay Tuesday, January 12, 2021
- Pre-K Pre-Registration Opens Friday, January 15, 2021
- TCSS to Implement Three-Hour Delay Monday, January 11, 2021
- TCSS to Return to Five-Day On-Campus Schedule Monday, January 11
- December 19, 2020: Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- TCSS to Implement A/B Schedule for On-Campus Students January 5 - 8, 2021
- Application Period Open Until January 7 for District 7 Board of Education Seat
- Photo Gallery - Celebrating the Holiday Season
- TCSS Educators Receive Tuscaloosa Education Foundation Grants
- Board of Education Approves Extraordinary Compensation for Employees
- TCSS CSFO Announces Upcoming Retirement
- ADPH Updates Guidelines for Schools, Regarding Quarantine Period
- TCSS Teachers Receive Nick's Kids Teacher Excellence Awards
- Sipsey Valley Celebrates Addition of Athletics Facilities
- 2021-2022 TCSS Academic Calendar Approved
- TCSS to Shift to A/B Schedule Beginning Monday, December 14
- December 4, 2020: Latest Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- Board Members Begin New Terms in Office
- December 3: Update from the Office of the Superintendent
- Choose Your Learning Option for Third Nine Weeks
- Provide Feedback on Proposed 2021-2022 TCSS Academic Calendar
- November 20: Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- Meet Our Education Heroes
- November 17: Update from the Office of the Superintendent
- TEF, Jalapeno's, & TCSS Celebrate Our Education Heroes
- November 12: Information Regarding COVID-19 & Our Schools
- November 10: Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- Photo Gallery: Vocabulary Parade
- TCSS Celebrates Red Ribbon Week
- Celebrating Decades of Service to Our Schools
- TCSS Receives $389,000 Grant for Career Technical Education
- October 26: An Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- Unity Day 2020 - Photo Gallery
- Alabama College Application Week 2020
- October 15: An Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- CRMS Tigers Celebrate Championship Win & Undefeated Season
- Second Nine Weeks: Important Upcoming Dates
- TCSS Goes Blue for World Day of Bullying Prevention
- Celebrating Homecoming Traditions
- TCSS Promotes BRAVE Bullying Prevention Initiative
- October 1: An Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- TCSS E-Learning Day Set for Friday, October 16
- Schools Receive Tuscaloosa Education Foundation Grants for Character Education
- Big Sandy Receives Visit from National Organization to Mark Achievement
- TCHS Wind Ensemble Receives National Recognition
- Join Our Team as a Substitute
- September 17: An Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- TCSS to Implement Edgenuity Online Learning Solution for Remote Learners
- TCHS Student Named National Merit Semifinalist
- An Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
- Breakfast and Lunch Available to All TCSS Students, at No Cost to Families
- Continuous Improvement Planning
- Photo Gallery: Welcome Back to School!
- Welcome Dr. Johnson!
- Leaders Are Readers
- Celebrating Service to Our Students - Photo Gallery
- Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
- Thank You, Dr. Davie! - Photo Gallery
- Preparing for Our Return to School
- Holt Elementary Selected as 2020 Promising Practice School
- A Message to Our TCSS Community & Resources for Families
- Big Sandy Named First "Model PLC at Work" School in Alabama
- 2020 - 2021 Transportation Information
- Board Selects Candidates to Fill Superintendent and CSFO Positions
- Two TCSS Schools Chosen as 2020 National Schools of Character
- Board Approves Revised 2020-2021 Academic Calendar
- 2020-2021 Kindergarten Registration
- New Principal Named for Lake View Elementary
- TCHS Junior Names NASA's Mars Helicopter
- Storm Shelter Information
- Superintendent & CSFO Update
- TCSS Reads Across America!
- Information on Search for TCSS Superintendent and Chief School Financial Officer
- Waiver Requested for February 11 Weather Day
- TCSS Students Spread Kindness
- National School Counseling Week 2020
- February Is Career Technical Education Month
- TCSS Schools Chosen as 2020 State Schools of Character
- School Board Member Recognition Month
- Fighting the Flu
- TCSS 2020 Educator Recognition Award Recipients
- TCSS Student Chosen as Finalist in NASA Contest
- Honors for TCHS Wind Ensemble
- Pre-K Registration Information for 2020-2021 School Year
- TCSS Superintendent and CSFO Announce Retirements
- Honors for Holt High Carpentry
- Nick's Kids Teacher Excellence Awards
- TCSS Celebrates Alabama's Bicentennial
- TCSS Teachers Achieve National Board Certification
- Holiday Book Drive
- 2020-2021 TCSS Academic Calendar Approved
- TCSS Students Honor Veterans
- Commission Provides Funding for Projects at Schools
- TCSS High School Students Participate in Reality Check
- Pumpkins Become Book Characters
- May 2020 Graduation Ceremonies Announced
- Alabama Education Report Card
- TCSS Teams Up Against Bullying on Friday, October 18
- TCSS Launches BRAVE Bullying Prevention Program
- TCSS Launching New Community Engagement Program
- TCSS Schools Selected as Bicentennial Schools of Excellence
- TEF Celebrates Superintendents & Supporters of Education
- Ribbon Cutting & Open House for Sipsey Valley Middle School
- TCSS Teacher on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"
- 2019 TCSS Summer Meals Program
- TCSS Names New Administrators
- TCSS Celebrates Alabama Bicentennial
- Tuscaloosa County School System
- December 19, 2020: Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
December 19, 2020: Data Update on COVID-19 & Our Schools
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December 19, 2020
From the Office of the Superintendent
To Our TCSS Families, Faculty, Staff, and Community,
As we first shared with you on September 3, the Tuscaloosa County School System is compiling data regarding COVID-19 and its impact on our schools. Although there are many aspects of student, employee, and health-related information we are unable to share publicly, due to the need to protect the privacy of individuals, there is information we can and want to share with you. This is a way to keep our community informed of the current COVID-19 situation within our schools. If a student or faculty/staff member is identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case within the school, they will be contacted directly by their school.
The information below reflects cases from December 4 - December 17, 2020. This information is compiled by our TCSS Department of Health Services, working in conjunction with administration at local schools. Scroll to the bottom of this page for all previous updates.
We are aware of 208 TCSS students or employees who tested positive for COVID-19 during the December 4 through December 17 time period. This is approximately 1.3 percent of the current on-campus TCSS population. TCSS has approximately 19,000 students, enrolled across 34 schools. District-wide, approximately 84 percent of our students are currently attending school on campus. TCSS has approximately 2,275 faculty/staff members.
During this time period, a total of 1,731 students or employees have had to quarantine, due to possible COVID-19 exposure. This is approximately 10.8 percent of our current on-campus population. TCSS identified these individuals following Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines. They were not identified because they displayed COVID-19 symptoms, but because they were determined to be close contacts of positive cases within our schools.
As of December 11, ADPH has updated guidance for schools to allow for a ten-day quarantine period for those identified as close contacts, but who do not show symptoms. Visit this page for more information.
Of the 208 positive cases, TCSS had a total of five schools, all at the middle or high school level, with 10 or more cases each. The highest number of cases (22) was at Tuscaloosa County High School, which is the largest school in our system, with approximately 1200 students registered for on-campus learning. The other four schools had between 10 and 15 cases each. The majority of schools in our system had nine or fewer cases. Below is a further breakdown:
22 confirmed positive cases: 1 school
Between 10 and 15 confirmed positive cases: 4 schools
Between 9 and 5 confirmed positive cases: 14 schools
Between 4 and 1 confirmed positive cases: 14 schools
Zero confirmed positive cases: 1 school
At this time, we do not have a total number of faculty/staff who have quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure since the start of school. However, on December 17, 2020, approximately 153 employees were listed as absent under the “COVID-19” absence code. This is 6.7 percent of our 2,275 employees. This does not mean an individual has a COVID-19 diagnosis, but they may have been exposed to COVID-19 or needed other COVID-19 related leave. COVID-related absences, on top of the other typical reasons for employee absences, create a greater need for substitute teachers. While we are working to secure as many substitutes as possible, many of our regular substitutes are unavailable due to COVID-19. We encourage anyone who is available and wants to support our schools to consider becoming a substitute. This is one of the most impactful ways someone can help our schools right now. Information on becoming a substitute is available on the front page of our TCSS web site.
During the break, we ask our students and families to be diligent about practicing health-promoting habits. For our first week of second semester, we will implement an A/B schedule for On-Campus learners. We reached this decision based on the number of quarantines, isolations, and employee absences we experienced following Thanksgiving, and the need to give our families advance notice of this change. Our purpose in beginning the semester on an A/B schedule is to minimize the impact of holiday COVID exposures on our schools, and to help us quickly resume and maintain our full-time on-campus schedule.
We wish our entire TCSS community a restful and safe break. We are very thankful for the hard work of so many that has allowed us to continue serving our students and families, despite the challenges of this year.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from November 19 - December 4, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from November 6 - November 19, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from October 23 – November 6, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from October 9 – October 23, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from September 26 – October 9, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from September 11 – September 25, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from September 1 – September 11, 2020.
Visit this page for our previous update with COVID-19 data from August 20 – September 1, 2020.