Early dismissal planned April 8

  • Posted March 28, 2024
Early dismissal April 8 graphic

The City School District of Albany will have an early dismissal for all students on Monday, April 8 due to the solar eclipse that will occur that afternoon.

In the Capital Region, the moon’s maximum coverage of the sun will be nearly 97%, occurring a few minutes before 3:30 p.m. – the dismissal time for more than half of our students. As a result of the timing for this event, we will plan for all schools to dismiss approximately two hours early according to the schedule below. 

All after-school programs will be canceled April 8 (Update: After-school cancellations now will include all athletics practices and competitions). 

Dismissal schedule

  • Early start elementary – 12:30 p.m. dismissal
    • Albany School of Humanities, Eagle Point Elementary, Montessori Magnet School, Pine Hills Elementary, Sheridan Preparatory Academy, Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology
  • Late-start elementary – 1:30 p.m. dismissal
    • Albany International Center-Dual Language Program, Arbor Hill Elementary, Delaware Community School, Giffen Memorial Elementary, New Scotland Elementary, Roots Academy at West Hill
  • Middle schools and Tony Clement Center for Education – 12:45 p.m. dismissal
  • Albany High School and Albany International Center 6-12 – 1:30 p.m. dismissal

We are continuing to monitor decisions by other area school districts for April 8 to assess potential impact on our staffing for the day. We will provide updates as soon as possible if necessary.

Please also note that all district schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, April 10 in observance of Eid al-Fitr.

Athletics schedule

All athletic practices and competitions are canceled Monday.

Safety information

Teachers at all grade levels have provided explicit guidance and information to students regarding safety during an eclipse.

That includes guidance that no one should look directly at the sun without a pair of solar viewing glasses or another safe method for indirect solar viewing, such as pinhole and optical projection. You can find suggestions for safe viewing options here.

The Albany Public Library is having events and activities related to the eclipse during spring break beginning April 1. The library also will distribute solar viewing glasses at all branches during open hours beginning Monday, March 25 on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. 

You can visit the library’s website for branch hours and locations.

Resources and information

This unique astronomical event on April 8 will represent the first time a total solar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) in parts of New York since 1925, and the last time until 2079. 

Teachers have been using a range of resources to help students explore the eclipse, including the following: