UPDATE: At 5 p.m., Gov. Kay Ivey announced all Alabama K-12 schools will close at the end of the day on Wed., March 18. Click here for more information.

Now that Alabama has its first confirmed case of COVID-19, and seeing that five states and Washington, D.C., closed all K-12 schools in response to the coronavirus pandemic, parents and teachers in Alabama are wondering why schools are not being closed.

The simple answer is that Alabama until this morning had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus. The first confirmed case is in Montgomery County, according to Alabama Chief Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris.

If a case of COVID-19 is confirmed in a student, teacher, school employee or regular school volunteer, that’s the trigger to close the school, according to state education officials.

The longer answer is that the decision to close a school is up to local superintendents and local school boards. We have 138 school districts and four charter schools, which means 142 different sets of considerations that go into that decision.

In guides published Thursday—one for schools and one for parents--the Alabama State Department of Education provided additional information, such as encouraging sick employees to stay home and promoting deeper cleaning of all schools.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in K-12 Schools: An LEA Guide

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in K-12 Schools: A Parent Guide

The ALSDE published clear expectations for schools:

This is guidance for Alabama's K-12 schools as of March 12, 2020.

When should children or teachers stay home from school?

Children and school employees should stay home if they have fever. They should remain at home until they are fever-free for 24 hours. If COVID-19 is identified in their community, they should stay home until they are fever-free for 72 hours.

Can we do online learning instead of going to school?

Not all schools have a way to do online learning. In their guidance, the ALSDE told schools that if online learning is implemented, they must make sure all students in the school have equal access to online learning. During online learning days, services to students receiving special education must also be provided.

"For most districts," the ALSDE wrote, "it will make more sense to cancel school altogether than to organize a learning model that cannot be accessed equitably by all students."

When will officials close a K-12 school?

Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said if a student, teacher, employee or regular volunteer tests positive for COVID-19, the school would close for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours for cleaning and further assessment by state health officials.

If schools are closed, will we have to make up the lost days?

If Gov. Kay Ivey declares a state of emergency related to COVID-19, districts would not be required to make up days missed.

Why are schools not considered mass gatherings of 500 or more?

In Thursday's press conference, Chief State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the guidance to avoid mass gatherings of 500 or more did not apply to schools or workplaces.

Mackey said as long as students continue to attend classes and move through hallways. He directed schools statewide to cancel or postpone assemblies and performances where large numbers of people would be gathering in tight spaces.

What about school lunchrooms?

At a press conference Friday morning, Mackey said school lunchrooms, while being one of the places in school where students gather in larger numbers, are cleaned regularly, highly regulated and lunchroom workers regularly work to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases.

If schools are closed, will children in special education still receive services?

In a word, no. This Q and A from a national non-profit that works with families of children with special needs answers more questions.

What about planned school-related field trips?

Mackey directed schools to postpone or cancel all field trips, in-state and out-of-state

What about school-related sporting and other events?

Mackey said he directed schools statewide to cancel or postpone assemblies and performances where large numbers of people would be gathering in tight spaces.

Mackey said the Alabama High School Athletic Association will issue guidance today regarding sporting events, saying only that beginning next week, there will be "a change in how (school-related) sports are played throughout the spring."

Related: AHSAA monitoring Coronavirus, will execute championship contingency plans if needed

What should families do about planned travel for spring break?

Dr. Harris recommended families avoid "hotspots," specifically California, Seattle, and New Rochelle, N.Y. Travel to countries where the coronavirus is widespread is discouraged, and travel to countries labeled a level 3 by the Centers for Disease Control has been suspended. Here's a map that the CDC updates regularly showing risk level by country.

Many family travel destinations have closed, including Walt Disney World in Orlando, have closed, so check the details before you travel.

Teachers who plan to travel should check with their local school district for their policy on how school officials will handle sick leave that comes as a result of travel to areas where the coronavirus is actively being transmitted.

State superintendent Mackey issued a directive Wednesday that if a teacher or other employee needs to self-isolate due to either testing positive for COVID-19 or having a dependent that tests positive, they will not be charged sick leave during the 14-day self-isolation period.

What about school-sponsored travel for spring break?

Mackey said all Alabama school-sponsored travel outside of the U.S. has been canceled. It is still up to local school officials to decide whether to continue with planned student travel outside of the state.

Parents who have concerns should stay in touch with local school officials about school-sponsored travel.

If schools close, will that impact graduating seniors?

The ALSDE issued guidance that they expect schools to maintain their regular schedule for graduation.

What if the ACT or SAT test is canceled?

All Alabama public school students take the ACT in their junior year. The next ACT test is scheduled for April. Officials with both testing organizations recommend students check email regularly for instructions about what toe

Which states have closed schools?

Schools in five states and Washington, D.C., are closing schools for multiple weeks. There were confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all of these states and D.C. prior to the decision to close all schools.

Ohio – March 16 to April 3

Maryland – March 16 to March 27

New Mexico – March 16 to April 6

Michigan – March 16 to April 4

Oregon – March 16 through March 31

Washington, D.C. – closed March 17 through March 23, then distance learning March 24 through March 31

If schools close, what will happen to students who rely on schools for meals?

More than 370,000 of Alabama's students rely on schools for meals, and if schools close, students could go hungry. Schools could continue to offer meals if they have the capacity to do so, but that will be an individual decision.

Alabama has a network of non-profits and churches that serve meals during the summer that could be called into action, too.

For all of Alabama’s Coronavirus coverage: https://www.al.com/coronavirus/