The City School District of Albany has been notified that an individual in the district has tested positive for COVID-19, with an impact on four district schools.
We were notified late Sunday night of a positive test for an individual who was on a First Student bus that serves Montessori Magnet School and New Scotland Elementary School, as well as the Maywood School in Albany. This individual was last on that bus last Friday, Nov. 6, and now is quarantined at home. In alignment with Albany County Health Department guidance, eight individuals from the Montessori community and 13 from the New Scotland community have been identified as contacts and have been moved to virtual instruction.
Additionally, we were notified Monday that this individual also was on buses last week that serve Albany High School (last contact Nov. 7) and Edmund J. O’Neal Middle School of Excellence (last contact Nov. 3), as well as Parsons Child and Family Center. In alignment with health department guidance, 19 individuals from the Albany High community have been identified as contacts and will remain in a fully virtual learning environment. Six individuals from the O’Neal community have been identified as contacts and have been moved to virtual instruction.
There are no additional steps required for any of the affected district schools at this time. The health department is continuing contact tracing and will provide further notifications to specific individuals if necessary.
Health and safety procedures at all district buildings and on all First Student buses include cleaning and sanitizing nightly. We will continue with these procedures, and also will continue to follow all required COVID-19 precautions (pre-arrival symptom screening and temperature screening for students and staff, wearing masks, hand hygiene, social distancing of 6 feet or more, and other precautions).
We also would like to remind everyone of steps you can take to help be safe:
- Maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet at all times from those you don’t live with.
- Always wear a mask that covers both the mouth and nose when you are out of your home.
- Wash hands with soap and water frequently when out of your home. If you cannot use soap and water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Don’t touch the eyes, nose or mouth unless your hands are clean.
- Complete the Student COVID-19 Screener each day before your child leaves for school, available from the Students/Families dropdown menu above.
- DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL WHEN THEY ARE SICK OR HAVE SYMPTOMS:
- Signs of COVID-19 are: fever, fatigue/tiredness, muscle/body aches or pains, congestion, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, nausea/vomiting or diarrhea, headache, loss of taste or smell, rash, feeling sick or unwell in any way.
- You can get a COVID-19 test by calling the New York State Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline at (888) 364-3065, or Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center at (518) 407-0172 or (518) 465-4771.
- You also can find resources here:
