Six Tuscaloosa County schools to close Tuesday because of staff shortages

Six schools in the Tuscaloosa County School System will be closed Tuesday because of a staffing shortage, according to a message from the superintendent.

The message cites an increase in COVID-19 cases, along with other illnesses, and a lack of available substitutes. The schools affected are Holt Elementary, Flatwoods Elementary, Cottondale Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Lloyd Wood Education Center, and Duncanville Middle.

Three of the schools — Cottondale, Flatwoods, and Holt elementary schools — also closed Friday because of staffing shortages. All of the city and county public schools were closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The Tuesday closure does not affect any of the other 35 schools in the county system and students were to report to classes as usual.

"Our goal is always to keep our doors open for our students. However, if staffing levels at one school drop to a point where we cannot operate that school for a day, we will temporarily close that individual school, instead of having a system-wide closure," the superintendent's message states.

The message closes by thanking parents for their patience and includes a link for anyone who is interested in becoming a substitute teacher.

The message also asks for help in preventing the spread of illnesses.

"We encourage our families to keep practicing healthy habits and good hygiene, to fight the spread of COVID-19, as well as illnesses like cold and flu," the message states.

In Tuscaloosa City Schools, students returned to classes Tuesday with a mask requirement in effect for the first time since last fall. Staffing shortages led to one school in the Tuscaloosa City Schools — Alberta School of the Performing Arts — being closed Friday, but as of Tuesday morning all city schools were open.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Staff shortage leads six Tuscaloosa County schools to close Tuesday