August 2, 2021

Dear TCS Parents/Caregivers and Employees:

The start of a new school year is just around the corner. For our students, it’s a time to get things back to normal with the routine of school. Unfortunately, the past 18 months have seen more “new normal” than just normal.

As you may know, the Tuscaloosa City Schools has every intention of beginning the 2021-2022 school with masks being optional for students and staff. Today, the Alabama Department of Public Health released the latest edition of its toolkit for schools. The revision represents the updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.

Our school nurses and administrators are currently reviewing the toolkit to understand best how to use the guidance to ensure a safe learning and working environment for all.

Based on our early review of the toolkit, mask-wearing and vaccinations offer the best chance to keep students in school five days a week. We recognize that this is something our community has told us that is important. Further, it appears that following the guidance of the toolkit will decrease the number of quarantines students may be required to take. 

As TCS administrators continue studying the toolkit, we ask parents and caregivers to be prepared in the event conditions change. We do not anticipate having to change our commitment to having all of our students in school for five days a week.

Our next steps include presenting our findings to the Board of Education for consideration.  We will communicate any actions taken by the Board of Education to all stakeholders before  August 12th, the first day of school.

By working together, we can give our students the best chance of starting and remaining in school during this year.

Sincerely,

Mike Daria, Ed.D
Superintendent