Alexander City Schools is going virtual Friday, Jan. 14 and returning Thursday, Jan. 20, the school system told families, with 97 students and 26 staff COVID-positive at the time of the announcement.

More than 350 students and staff were absent Wednesday from either infection or quarantine, with "multiple pending test results," the school system said in a statement. The current caseload is the highest it's been all school year, surpassing the previous record of 80 infections on Sept. 3 when the delta variant was at its height in Tallapoosa County.