By Ashley Remkus | aremkus@al.com

Two schools in Muscle Shoals are the latest in Alabama to announce a transition to remote learning as coronavirus cases surge across the state.

The middle and high schools in the northwest Alabama city will switch to remote learning on Monday and continue through Friday, which marks the end of the fall semester. Superintendent Chad Holden said extracurricular activities will continue.

“Despite seeing an improvement last week in the number of students and staff testing positive for COVID-19 compared to November, we are still experiencing a high number of staff and student quarantines from possible exposure to the coronavirus,” Holden said in a statement. “The quarantines have created significant staffing challenges throughout the district and particularly at these two schools.”https://16ffd0fea36d1444dcca4da9ed7aacd6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Muscle Shoals City Schools reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 during the past week, according to data from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

[Related: New COVID cases rise to 3,200 this week in Alabama’s K-12 schools]

Holden said the district’s elementary schools — McBride, Highland Park, Webster, and Howell Graves — will continue in-person class. By switching the high school and middle school to remote learning, the school system will free up substitute teachers to work on the elementary campuses, Holden said.

In-person classes are scheduled to resume for the middle and high schools on Jan. 7 after the holiday break.

Read Holden’s full statement below, or click here:

JOIN THE MOVEMENT! #iBELIEVE