Tuscaloosa County closes 6 schools today over staffing shortages

January 18, 2022

Six schools within the Tuscaloosa County School System are closed today because of COVID-19 related staffing shortages.

In a message sent out Monday, the system said Holt Elementary, Flatwoods Elementary, Cottondale Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Lloyd Wood Education Center and Duncanville Middle will be closed Tuesday. All other schools in the system remain open.

Read the full letter below:

<blockquote>January 17, 2022TCSS Families,We know many of you are aware of the staffing challenges we have been facing since we returned from the holiday break. This is largely due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and other illnesses, as well as a lack of available substitutes.Over the past two school days, you may have heard of a few schools in our system closing temporarily. With 35 schools in our school system, staffing levels vary greatly from school to school, from day to day. Our administrators evaluate our staffing levels daily. 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. If your student’s school is affected by a closure, you will be contacted directly. Schools closed for Tuesday, January 18 are Holt Elementary, Flatwoods Elementary, Cottondale Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Lloyd Wood Education Center, and Duncanville Middle. No other schools are affected at this time, and students at all other schools should report to school as normal on Tuesday.Thank you for your patience and support, and support of our teachers, school staff, and administrators, as we work to overcome the staffing challenges we are facing right now. If you or someone you know would like to help by becoming a substitute in our schools, <a href=”https://www.tcss.net/Page/12608″ target=”_parent” rel=”noopener”>please visit this page for more information.</a> 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.Sincerely,Office of the Superintendent</blockquote>