March 17 health updates

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The City School District of Albany is updating the plan for the cancellation of classes in response to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order (No. 202.4) issued Monday:  

“Notwithstanding any prior directives, every school in the state of New York is hereby directed to close no later than Wednesday, March 18, 2020, for a period of two weeks, ending April 1, 2020.”

We will have additional guidance regarding the resumption of classes as it is provided to us.

Thank you for your ongoing patience and partnership as we work together to address this serious health concern.

County confirms district case
The Albany County Health Department notified the district Tuesday that there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 involving one of our schools.  

A member of the Pine Hills Elementary School community has tested positive. This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 that health officials have notified us about involving school district. 

The district remains in communication with local health department officials for guidance. The health department will be in contact with families, employees and others who may have been affected by the Pine Hills Elementary case. We will continue to provide updates as developments occur. You also can read a message from Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams regarding this development.

Magnet, pre-K lotteries postponed
The district has postponed the March 18 magnet elementary and prekindergarten lotteries until further notice out of an abundance of caution in response to the spread of COVID-19. We will provide more information as it becomes available.

Adult Ed spring semester cancelled
The district has cancelled the spring semester of the Adult Continuing Education program, including the second week of registration that had been scheduled for March 18 and March 19. 

The district will refund all fees for anyone who had already registered for spring Adult Ed courses. For more information, please contact Continuing Education Coordinator Bridget Dolan at (518) 475-6452 or bdolan@albany.k12.ny.us

Breakfast and lunch for students 
A reminder that the City School District of Albany is committed to continuing to provide “grab and go” meals to students during the two-week cancellation of classes. The following schools will be open from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., daily:

  • Albany High School (Washington Avenue entrance), 700 Washington Ave.
  • Albany School of Humanities (ASH), 108 Whitehall Road
  • Arbor Hill Elementary School, 1 Arbor Drive
  • Giffen Memorial Elementary School, 274 South Pearl St.
  • Tony Clement Center for Education, 395 Elk St.
  • William S. Hackett Middle School, 45 Delaware Ave.

Lunch for the current day and breakfast for the following day will be available to district students at these locations. 

Please look for a representative or sign indicating where meals can be picked up at the above locations. Your student will need to provide their lunch/student ID to be able to pick up meals. If your student is not with you, you still will need to provide the lunch/student ID; assistance will be provided in the event you don't have it with you when you arrive. 

The district is making all efforts to meet the needs of all of our families during this challenging time. 

Instructional resources for students
The district is working on enhancing the academic resources section on our website. As a reminder, all students K-12 have been provided with digital and print instructional resources that are available on our website.

Current resources focus on the priority areas: courses that end in Regents exams, AP and IB exams, K-8 Math and ELA, and K-8 Science and Social Studies. Our enhancements will include a more parent friendly structure on the website and more directions in regards to the available resources.  Please anticipate an updated page Thursday, March 19.

The resources are largely digital. We do recognize that there is a digital divide and are continuing to work on strategies to address that during the closure.

Print resources also have been provided in targeted areas as appropriate. An additional print resource in Math for grades 3-5 has been mailed home to students and should arrive mid-week.