Athletics plan focuses on growing opportunities, access for students

The City School District of Albany is restructuring the Health, Physical Education and Athletics Department to provide additional support as we continue to expand opportunities and access for student-athletes.

This will include the departure of John Galarneau, who has served as the instructional supervisor for health and physical education. Galarneau has been appointed as a principal in another Capital Region school district. We wish him well in this new opportunity. 

With this departure, and following a review of the department’s structure through the winter and early spring, the district is creating a new assistant director of health, physical education and athletics position to focus on support for student-athletes and coaches, The position also will focus on continuing to strengthen connections between the district’s athletic programs and community youth programs. Ashley Chapple will assume this new role after leading the department through the many financial and health-related challenges of the pandemic. 

The district will conduct a search for an experienced administrative leader in these areas, with a focus on candidates with a proven track record leading successful athletic programs in diverse communities. Chapple will continue to lead the department until a new director is in place.