Five school systems in north Alabama with about 25,000 students total are canceling classes because of high incidences of the flu.
The city school systems in Albertville, Boaz and Guntersville have joined the Cullman County and Marshall County systems in shutting down until next week.
State statistics show Marshall County is the largest system affected by the illness with 5,468 students enrolled in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Marshall County does not plan to resume classes until Tuesday; the other four systems plan to return to class on Monday.
Gov. Kay Ivey declared a public health emergency earlier this month because of the flu outbreak. Health department officials say they are investigating more than 50 deaths potentially linked to the outbreak statewide, and the agency has been setting up special clinics to vaccinate people against the disease.
