After five days in the 2021-2022 school year, the Cullman County School System had nearly 400 students or staff members test positive for COVID-19 or be quarantined due to exposure to the virus.

An update sent out Tuesday morning said the system had 373 positive cases or quarantines.

In a video, Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette said that total was higher than any single school day in the past year.

“Our numbers at the end of the day yesterday were very alarming,” he said.

A special board meeting was called for Tuesday afternoon to discuss a possible change to the system’s mask procedures, but was then canceled early Tuesday morning.

Barnette said the notification of the meeting was sent out Monday afternoon as required by state law, but after he spoke to the board’s members, he decided instead to post the video to the system’s families and plead for help in keeping schools open.

Barnette reiterated that masks are recommended by the system but are not required for students.

“I want that to be a parent’s choice. I think that’s important.” he said. “For whatever reason, some people believe in masks and some people don’t and I’m not here to debate that today. That’s the parent’s choice.”

Students who do wear a mask will not get sent home after close contact with a student who tests positive for COVID-19, but a student not wearing a mask will get sent home, Barnette said.

He said any student who does get sent home as a close contact is expected by the Alabama Department of Public Health to stay home for 10 days to be monitored for symptoms. If they have symptoms, they will have to stay home for longer than that.

Any child who has been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days will also not be sent home as a close contact, Barnette said.

Barnette also asked for families’ help in lowering the system’s case numbers.

He said many of the students who have been sent home so far have come to school after being exposed at home, testing positive for the virus or displaying symptoms.

“I need those students to stay at home and just report to the school that they’ve either been exposed or they’ve tested positive,” he said. “If you’ll do that and you’ll work with me, then we can keep our schools open and we can keep our kids in school.”

Barnette said he has always believed that face-to-face instruction is the best type of instruction, not just for classroom learning but for social and emotional learning as well.

“Our kids need to be together and they need to be in school,” he said. “So if you will, help me in those few areas and I’m confident we can get through this.”