The City School District of Albany will return to in-person instruction Tuesday at all schools.
The one exception at this time is a prekindergarten classroom at New Scotland Elementary School. One of the school’s two pre-K classrooms will remain in distance learning Tuesday and Wednesday due to staffing shortages related to COVID-19. Students in that classroom will return in-person Thursday.
If there are any changes for other buildings or classrooms, we will communicate that information immediately. We do not anticipate any weather-related delays or interruptions to our plans to return in-person Tuesday.
Please remember to report the positive results of at-home COVID-19 tests, including a photo of the positive result and your test kit, to your building principal and Health Services Coordinator Suzanne McCarthy.
Please note that the quarantine timeline for prekindergarten students remains 10 days, in alignment with guidance from the Albany County Health Department. The quarantine period for all other school-age children and adults has changed to five days, also in alignment with health department guidance.
You can visit our website for more information about COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
In-person testing at six district buildings
The district will continue to offer in-person COVID-19 testing each weekday at six district buildings. There is little to no wait, with results in 24-48 hours.
Pre-registration is required. Please use this link to pre-register if you have not already done so. Appointments are not needed. If you are not pre-registered, we will not be able to test you and you will be asked to return when you’re registered. If you need assistance registering, please contact your child’s school.
Please remember that for a COVID-19 saliva swab test you must:
- Wait at least one hour after brushing your teeth or using mouthwash before testing.
- Not eat or drink anything 30 minutes before testing. This includes gum, mints, cough lozenges, etc.
Our six testing locations are:
- Albany High School, 700 Washington Ave. – 8:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
- Arbor Hill Elementary School, 1 Arbor Drive – 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Giffen Memorial Elementary School, 274 South Pearl St. – 9:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center, 75 Watervliet Ave. – 7:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
- Tony Clement Center for Education, 395 Elk St. – 8:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
- William S. Hackett Middle School, 45 Delaware Ave. – 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
COVID-19 rapid testing available at all district buildings
The City School District of Albany is making COVID-19 rapid antigen testing available at all buildings throughout the district.
If any student or employee becomes symptomatic during the school day, they can get tested at the school’s health office. Parental consent for students (verbal or written) is required.
Please note, if the student or employee is not exhibiting symptoms such as fever, vomiting or diarrhea, and they are capable of wearing their tight-fitting mask, they may return to the classroom once they have had a negative test result at the building.
At the nurse’s discretion, a take-home test kit will be provided to the student or employee to retest the following morning. If that result also is negative, the student or employee may return.
Other testing options
If a student or employee begins to experience symptoms after school or in the evenings, free COVID-19 rapid antigen testing is available at state testing sites at the University of Albany and Crossgates Mall.
