This story has been updated.
The Alabama Education Lab collects and confirms updates from school social media posts, website updates and reader submissions. For an official list of instructional shifts kept by the Alabama State Department of Education, go here.
As many as one in three Alabama public school students learned virtually last week.
Many will continue learning from home, according to updates from several districts across the state. While state hospitals including Children’s of Alabama are seeing record numbers of pediatric COVID infections, the main issue facing schools is staffing.
Birmingham City Schools said in a news release late Sunday that students would learn virtually Jan. 24 and 25. Educators will work from home and students will receive remote assignments.
Huntsville City and Madison County schools are sending students home through Jan. 28.
Colbert County Superintendent Chris Hand said the district had 298 students, faculty and staff -- roughly 10% of the district’s student and staff population, according to 2020-21 numbers -- currently sick, waiting on test results or quarantined.
The district is extending remote learning through Tuesday, Jan. 25.
In DeKalb County, Principal Bridgett Ott wrote on Facebook,
“I am thankful to our staff for being flexible and trying the best they can to teach in a format that they were not taught on or even thought about 2 years ago. I am thankful to our Central Office that recognized when a school does not have enough adults to function safely.”
“Essentially we have lost a month of instruction due to weather and sickness. That is detrimental but I have no doubt that teachers will do what they always do… push through it and do the best they can with the time they have left.”
Districts planning to offer remote learning include:
- Bullock County Schools, through Friday, Jan. 28.
- DeKalb County Schools, through Jan. 25.
- Huntsville City Schools, through Friday, Jan. 28.
- Madison County Schools, through Friday, Jan. 28.
- Scottsboro City Schools, through Tuesday, Jan. 25.
- Shelby County Schools, through Tuesday, Jan. 25.
- Tuscaloosa City Schools, through Monday, Jan. 24.
Others, such as Cullman City Schools and Jefferson County Schools, said they were seeing a downward trend in reported school cases and planned to resume normal operations Monday.