As we prepare to break to celebrate the holiday season, I would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to all of the community partners who have come together to help address the conflicts that affected Albany High School and our city at the start of the month.
While our high school team, under the leadership of Principal Jodi Commerford, took immediate steps to address safety concerns at school following student fights Dec. 4-5, numerous partners also took steps to address these concerns in the broader community.
The Albany Police Department and other law enforcement agencies have worked overtly and behind the scenes to investigate and address safety concerns at school and in the community. Mayor Sheehan also has been engaged with us on these issues.
We are grateful for the involvement of faith-based leaders from multiple denominations in the Community Coalition we invited to come together to discuss solutions. We are looking forward to continuing this partnership.
The Community Coalition includes the police department’s Pastors on Patrol, led by Bishop Avery Comithier. Their presence in the community after school many days this month has brought calm and reassurance, as have the efforts of all of the faith-based partners who are working with us in these efforts. Their relationships with, and service to, our students and families has been invaluable.
I also have had conversations with leaders from Trinity Alliance and SNUG to engage their deep connections and relationships in our community.
Be assured that all of these efforts and more will continue when we return to school in January.
We have reached out to the National Coalition Building Institute to facilitate an ongoing series of conversations and focus groups, both with all members of the Albany High community and with our partners.
NCBI has been instrumental in helping our school community address and resolve conflicts in the past. We are confident that this partnership will once again have a positive impact that will benefit our students and families.
We also are looking forward to welcoming all of our families and community partners to a forum at the high school in mid-January, which NCBI will help facilitate. Please watch for more information about this opportunity.
Your partnership is critical. Please join us in the weeks and months ahead to be part of this community-wide effort to build a safe and supportive city.
My best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy holiday season!
Sincerely,
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent
