An outbreak of the flu continues to interfere with in-person learning in at least one Alabama school district.

Horseshoe Bend School in Tallapoosa County transitioned to temporary remote learning on Friday, amid rising flu cases countywide, school officials said.

Casey Davis, deputy superintendent for Tallapoosa County Schools, said in a statement Thursday that the decision follows an increase in flu-related absences at the school.

“Due to the increased number of flu-related absences, Horseshoe Bend School will be virtual on Friday. This will allow our custodial staff to deep clean and sanitize the building,” Davis said.

Davis noted Horseshoe Bend School is currently the only school within the Tallapoosa County School System that will transition to temporary remote learning at this time. Sanitation staff will disinfect the campus throughout Friday as a measure to minimize the spread of the virus and to keep families safe, according to school officials.

County education leaders began monitoring flu cases earlier this week within the school district, according to an announcement Tuesday. School officials at the time described the situation as fluid, and urged families to be prepared in the event the school system had to resort to a virtual setting.

With this announcement, both school systems in Tallapoosa County have faced classroom disruptions from a seasonal outbreak of the flu, as Alexander City Schools shifted to virtual learning both Tuesday and Wednesday after city schools reported that nearly 20 percent of students were absent due to the flu.

According to Davis, students will return to classroom instruction Monday, Oct. 31. All extracurricular activities will proceed as planned.

William Marlow is a multimedia reporter for Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. Republished here with permission.