Update from Principal Commerford

A few reminders fron Albany High School Principal Jodi Commerford for students and families as we look forward to the upcoming school week.

• Encouraging all students to get to each class on time will continue to be a priority. Any student in the hall must have a pass, and we will continue to suspend any student who is in the hallway after the bell and refuses multiple requests to head to class. 
• Additional district-level staff again will be present to assist our building-level efforts. 
• All students traveling between Albany High School and the Abrookin Career and Technical Center will be required to use the main entrance at each building. 
• We will return to our regular dismissal time of 3:30 p.m. for all students beginning Monday. 
• Parents and guardians of bus-eligible students, please remind your students that it is important that they ride their assignedCDTA or First Student  bus home at the end of each school day. Ignoring the bus and following the crowd could lead to unsafe circumstances. 
• We continue to partner with the Albany Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. In addition to the ongoing investigations, officers will remain present on and around our campus throughout the school day and at dismissal. Please remember that just because you do not see police present does not mean they are not there. 

A number of community partners also have committed to being present at dismissal to support our students and staff, including faith-based leaders who are working with us through the new Community Coalition we initiated last week. We are grateful for this support and welcome community partners who are willing to be present outside Albany High for dismissal in the 3:30-4 p.m. time each day. 

Parents and guardians, please follow this link for information and resources you can use at home to talk with and support your students.

Planning and partnership

Our District-Wide School Safety Team met for two hours Sunday morning to continue reviewing the details of last week’s safety concerns. 

This group includes representatives from the building and district, including Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter, members of our safety team and leaders from our ENL and Refugee Services, Pupil Personnel Services, Special Education and Communications departments. The group also includes school resource officers and additional Albany police officers. 

Our goal is to continue to plan for coordinated review and response to concerns as they arise. 

Once again, I encourage you to remind your students that if they see something that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable, including social media content, they should tell a trusted adult immediately. We also welcome you to contact my office or your academy office at any time if you have questions or concerns. 

Safety is our top priority at Albany High School and throughout the CIty School District of Albany. But our staff and partners cannot do it alone. Maintaining safe schools and a safe community is everyone’s responsibility.